Book 4: Air, Part I
by Corkstopper
Summary: The war is over. Aang, however, faces a new problem: the extinction of the Air Nomads. He and his friends head off on a quest to seek the Spirit-bending Master Avatar Liang-Shek to learn how to restore airbending to the world. Zutara/Tokka. Ch 19 up. R&R!
1. The Locket and the Clock, Act 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

So here is my followup to the Series Finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I greatly enjoyed the finale and decided to pitch in my own story for a Book Four. I know that Aang is an airbending master, but I promise that I will focus on Air in later parts of this story. Furthermore, this story draws from the ending of my story, "Secrets of the Fire Nation." (It is not a direct sequel to "Secrets of the Fire Nation" though.)

I have decided to retain the episodic style of my previous writings meaning that there will be scene switches and each chapter will be divided into three parts (one for each commercial break.)

The main idea is that Aang still needs to restore balance by bringing airbenders to the world. Shippings will be revealed as the story unfolds.

So this story takes place a few days after the finale. The gang is still in Ba Sing Se on vacation after their victory. Dive in, and I hope you enjoy! Please read and review.

Without further ado, let's begin!

* * *

**Book 4:**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Locket and the Clock**

Act 1:

The war was finally over. After more than one hundred years of tumult and bloodshed, the Fire Nation's mad conquest had finally ended. Avatar Aang had managed to defeat the previous Firelord, Ozai, by using the technique of spirit-bending to steal his firebending capabilities.

It was a spectacular sight as rays of red and blue swept through the sky, and every soldier, Fire Nation or not, turned to stare at what was happening. No one had saw the powers of the ancient art of spirit-bending again.

And it was a spectacular end to the war. No life had been wasted, and the world was finally at peace. The Earth Kingdom was slowly winning back its land from the Fire Nation, while the Northern Water Tribe had rebuilt its city and was expanding its culture to the Southern Water Tribe.

However, the journey of the Avatar wasn't over. Both Aang and Zuko knew that much. The world was still in a state of imbalance. Even with all the healing happening in the world, there was one problem that was definitely irreversible: the genocide of the airbenders. Aang was the last airbender, and after him, the Avatar's reincarnation cycle would be broken…

Though these troubling thoughts were at the back of everyone's head, they decided to take a nice long break after the painstaking final battles they each had fought. Zuko was in his room in a rented house in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. Katara was with him, performing her daily waterbending healing on his lightning wound.

"Ah-ah—ow-ow-ow!" Zuko grimaced in pain.

"We've done this procedure for a week, Zuko! For heaven's sake, hold still!" Katara was sweating as she placed her hands in a bowl of water. If Zuko continued to squirm and wiggle, her healing might do more damage than help. She placed her hands back onto his chest and they began to glow white as she pressed them.

Katara was right, Zuko knew. Although they had done the healing process for quite some time already, his wound felt more painful than ever before. Zuko couldn't wonder whether it was because of Azula's lighting or further internal turmoil inside of him. All he knew was that it was hurting, and he wanted it gone.

As he lay on the sofa on the edge of the vacation house, he saw the sun set. Ba Sing Se capetry was especially pretty, and it looked even more beautiful when the golden emboideries reflected all the lights. He felt the faint breeze coming from outside, and took a deep breath, feeling its caress. But he soon realized it wasn't the breeze. He turned and saw the deep blue eyes of the girl who was kneeling beside her. Any trace of resentment that once marked her face was now gone, and rather than using those pair of azure orbs to constantly look for a slip up, she now made momentary glances every now and then to make sure he was doing all right.

He was still a bit shocked by the closeness of Katara right now, for she was the last person he expected to be touching his body. He couldn't believe how far the two of them had come since their previous visit to Ba Sing Se, when they were in the crystal catacombs. He remembered how he had betrayed not only Uncle, but also her, creating an almost inerasable sense of mistrust in her. In the end, though, both were able to step up and save each other's lives.

Then, the door burst open to the house burst open and a huge gust of air washed through the room, knocking over several of the vases and coat hangers. "Hey, Katara," Aang shouted. Do you want to head over to the teashop? I heard Iroh and Toph are making a new type of tea! Knocks you out like a club." Aang was dressed in his old Southern Air Temple clothes. He complained that the other one he wore at Zuko's coronation was uncomfortable and should only be used for formal occaisions.

Furthermore, Toph had gotten really close to Uncle Iroh ever since the war was over. She moved in with him and served as his young apprentice, citing him to be the perfect guardian she needed. Not overly protective, wise, and most importantly, has a good sense of humor. As for her parents, she made a brief visit to them before leaving on vacation with the gang. Her parents, with Toph's most recent letter, had gotten over their protective ways after learning that she was a great war hero and were honored that she would be spending quality time with the Dragon of the West. Besides, she was finally accepting some more lady-like pastimes, such as tea brewing.

"Not now, Aang." Katara scolded gently. "I still haven't finished my healing session with Zuko for the day. He'll still be in a lot of pain unless I get this done."

"No, it's all right. I can handle this by myself. I think I'm feeling better already." He placed his arm on Katara's shoulder, telling her it would be all right. He wanted her to enjoy spending time with her new boyfriend. However, she could tell he was clearly lying through her teeth for he cringed with every sentence. The pain inside him only got worse. He knew that it didn't stem from the lightning wound.

"But your wound. It still needs healing…" Katara protested.

"Nah, it's all right, Katara. Just go. I think I'll just enjoy the weather for awhile." He lay back against the couch he was on.

Katara nodded. Arguing with Zuko was useless. He was more stubborn than most earthbenders out there, but that was a good thing, for the Firelord has to be resolute. "Thanks, Zuko," Aang shouted as he grabbed Katara's hand and they ran off. "Well tell you what happens!"

Zuko was disappointed with Aang's intervention, but then again, he forgot that Aang and Katara were a couple now. Though they had only been dating for a few days since their arrival in Ba Sing Se, they were closer than any couple he had every known—including him and Mai. He supposed it must have been the release from the tension the two shared during the entire journey across the world. All of their emotions that was contained because of those continuous chases and battles had finally been freed.

The reason that he was reluctant to let Katara go was not because the physical pain he was in, but rather the emotional pain. He envied Katara and Aang, since they had still each other. Mai, on the other hand, had left him to return to the Fire Nation and perform the duties as the Fire Lady. He had to stay awhile longer in order to get healed. At first, the two decided that they should stick together, but Zuko couldn't go under the condition he was in. Moreover, the Fire Nation needed a leader now more than ever, so Mai decided to return earlier. Zuko just placed one hand over his wound and limped to the trunk. He just wondered how Mai was doing. She was still the gloom y and passionless girl she was, and he knew that the Fire Nation, now more than ever, needed a person who thought more about the people than himself.

He searched through the belongings in their and took out a locket. Inside it was his a picture of his girlfriend. When he picked up the locket, however, a watch fell out. Their thin metallic chains had been tangled. The clock's lid snapped open and he could hear the faint ticking. It hadn't been broken by the fall.

Zuko picked up the tiny clock. He remembered that before the final battle, during his stay at the Western Air Temple, he headed on an adventure with Toph to solve their family issues. However, the ended up getting caught by Azula and Fire Nation soldiers upon entering an underground Fire Nation research facility. At the prison, he met an Astronomer, who gave him the clock as a parting gift when he, Toph, and a traitorous scientist began their escape. The clock was designed as a countdown to Sozin's Comet, but even after the war and the passing of the comet, it still continued ticking. Upon further inspection, Zuko saw that on the face of the clock was a White Lotus. _The Order of the White Lotus_ was the first thought that came into his head, and he finally realized that this clock wasn't an ordinary clock. He unfastened the back of the watch and found a slip of paper in it. As he unraveled the paper and read, his eyes widened in puzzlement and astonishment.

* * *

Scene switches

_Zuko and Sokka are in Zuko's room reading the slip of paper that was hidden inside the clock._

"_A day of enlightenment lasts a millennium in human life_." Sokka read, raising an eyebrow and read the next line. "_The lotus is the first step in the path_." Sokka stopped. "What is this nonsense, Zuko? If you think this is a haiku, I'm afraid you're—"

"No, I know it's not a haiku. Do you know what it means?"

Sokka shook his head and threw the paper away. "Nope. Not a single clue. But who cares? The war is over!" He leaped around the room in excitement. His injured leg had only recently healed, and being the goof he was, he was already neglecting the attention and care his leg needed. His sister called it irresponsible. He called it fearless.

Zuko leaned over to grab the sheet from the floor. "I know the war is over, but the world still hasn't healed. This watch…it is counting down to something, and it definitely isn't the return of Sozin's Comet, as the astronomer--or the person whom I found it from--told me. I can't help but have this ominous feeling…"

"It' probably just someone's birthday, Zuko. Jeez, lighten up." Sokka pat him on the back. What was running through Sokka's head then, though was who would be self-centered enough to make a countdown to his own birthday.

"I would like to think that it is as trivial as someone's birthday, but this piece of parchment and the lotus insignia are telling me otherwise."

"Well, doesn't the idea of enlightenment have something to do with the monks or the Avatar? You know, all that intense meditating and stuff?"

"Don't ask me." He responded. "You're the idea and knowledge guy! I thought that you out of anyone would understand this!"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Why does everybody have to refer to me as the Idea Guy? Can't I be the Space Sword Guy?" He swung his arm in a sword slicing motion. "Or the Boomerang Warrior?" He made a "v" with his two fingers.

"You lost your boomerang and space sword," Zuko said.

"Fine, fine. I'm just trying to make a point. Jeez. Can't a guy have some dignity after saving the world?" Sokka pouted. "No fanfare, no medal. And I don't even get discounts on the Jade Dragon!"

"You're right, Sokka."

"I am?" Sokka smiled. "I _knew_ I wasn't getting the praise I deserved!"

"No. Not that. I mean your point about the White Lotus tea. I found this parchment underneath a White Lotus clock face. What better would it be than to consult my uncle, a member of the White Lotus?" Zuko placed the clock and the parchment back into his pockets. "Now give me a lift over there." Sokka took Zuko's arm and slung it around his shoulders. They headed for the Jasmine Dragon.

* * *

Scene Switches

_Zuko and Sokka are at the teashop._

Many people were there. There was a cacophony of lids slamming, cups banging, and shouting from the customers. Business was doing really well after people had heard that the Dragon of the West had returned to the city to start his own shop. The fact that many of the other tea shops were destroyed during the siege of Ba Sing Se helped, too. Sokka placed Zuko at a table and the two sat down. The Jasmine Dragon was the finest in all of Ba Sing Se or even the entire Earth Kingdom, and Zuko's uncle aspired to make sure it stayed that way. He accepted Toph as an apprentice because her blindness gave her an edge in the olfactory aspect of tea-making. The Jasmine Dragon was the first sign to the world that nations, even after a hundred years of animosity, can forgive each other and forget the past.

The shop was luxurious. It was larger than most restaurants in the city and had around one hundred staff members. Uncle, though, made sure that great tea wasn't limited to only the upper-class. He made sure that the prices were low so that citizens from the middle ring or even the lower ring could come and enjoy.

Zuko raised his arm and signaled a waiter. A waiter arrived. "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, where tea brewery comes to life."

Sokka opened his mouth. "I would like a—" But Zuko immediately covered Sokka's mouth.

"Leave this to me," he whispered. He turned to the waiter. "Get my friend and me two White Jade Tea with red Dragon Nuts as appetizers." The waiter nodded and shouted the order to the kitchen.

Suddenly, Toph landed right into a seat of the table. She had catapulted herself from the kitchen by summoning a rock pillar right below her feet. (Yes, the ceiling of the shop was so high that she could do so. She practiced this stunt when the shop closed for the night.) "So what's up, Sparky." Zuko's order, apparently, was a secret signal. She took off her apron and placed it on her lap.

Sokka was aghast. He looked at Toph. "How did you know—" Then he turned to Zuko. "But all you—"

"Snoozles, everybody knows that the White Jade is poisonous. Besides, Red Dragon nuts don't exist. Well, any botanist would know this, anyway." She pointed at the waiter who shouted the order. Apparently, he didn't catch onto the problem with Zuko's order. "So, as I asked, what's up?"

"I need to see my Uncle. It concerns the White Lotus."

"Why didn't you just say so." She turned to face the kitchen to place an order. "Three Grand White Lotuses!"

* * *

Scene switches

_Luckily, no one in the tea-shop knew about the order of the White Lotus except for the gang and Iroh. Iroh brought Aang and Katara as they all gathered around the table where Zuko and Toph were at._

"Uncle… I found this… Do you have any idea of what it means?" Zuko handed his uncle the clock that the Astronomer had given to him.

"Ah… you found Feng's clock!" He looked at the Feng's character (峰) engrained in the back of the clock. "How's the old sport doing?" He nudged his nephew. "Is he still talking about the celestial bodies as much as ever?"

Zuko lowered his head. Iroh knew what his nephew meant.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Iroh turned his head away, his face stricken with grief. "He was a good man…Now that you mention it, I didn't see him at the White Lotus Camp outside the walls of Ba Sing Se."

"Uncle, we don't have time for your reminiscences." Zuko interrupted. "We have an even more pressing matter at hand. We need you to interpret this piece of parchment." He took out the paper that he and Sokka tried to decipher a few moments ago.

"Hmmm…Parchment?" Iroh scratched his beard. Though he recognized the clock, he certainly didn't recognize the paper. He signaled to one of the subordinate tea-makers. "Can you take over for me, Mushi? I think I might need a few minutes." A young man holding a tea tray nodded and headed for the kitchen to give out the orders to the brewers and waiters.

He sat down at a table and gestured for the other kids to get around. Aang and Katara sat down as Toph, Zuko, and Sokka leaned in. He silently read the paper. "A day of enlightenment lasts a millennium in human life. The lotus is the first step in the path."

The teenagers all stared.

"It seems that my brother Feng has finally solved the mystery—the mystery of the great Avatar of ages ago: Liang-Shek. One who mastered all not only all four elements but also spirit bending"

Everybody turned to look at Aang who would have the best knowledge of all the Avatars. He had no idea what Uncle Iroh was talking about and didn't recognize the name _Liang-Shek at all._ He only gave a shrug of confusion.

_Fades to black_.

* * *

I hoped you enjoyed reading, and I forgot to thank Avatar Spirit, from which I used the transcripts of the episodes for reference. Once again, please review.


	2. The Locket and the Clock, Act 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Note: Here is a revised version of my second chapter to my version of Book 4: Air because the previous version sucked--a lot more than this version at least. It had a bunch of typos and contradictions. I eliminated the contradictions and added a few scenes. Some parts I didn't change. Sorry for the inconvenience.

So anyway, I had trouble describing the architecture of the Wan Shi Tong Library, but I hope you can recall what it looked like and envision it in your mind.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story and please read a review! It's a fairly long chapter. By the way, read the notes at the end please.

* * *

**Book 4: Air  
**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Locket and the Clock**

Act 2:

Iroh raised his eyebrow. "You don't know Liang-Shek? Hmm…" He lowered his voice to ask himself, "Did I pronounce it correctly? Long-Shek… Long-Shrek… Lang—" Everybody sat in silence while Uncle tried to recall the enigmatic Avatar's name.

Zuko finally cut in. "Uncle, we get the idea. His name is along the lines of Liang-Shek." He turned to face the Avatar. "Aang, are you sure you don't know anyone by the name of Liang-Shek?"

"Honestly," Aang said, scratching his head, "I don't know anybody in my past life with that name…or a name similar to that."

"Wait…" Katara interrupted, "If Aang doesn't know, and he's the Avatar…then how could you possibly know?"

"Oh, he's real, for sure." Iroh knew that everyone was going to ask how he knew and he answered their unspoken question immediately. "It's a long story of a long time ago…" Iroh began. He turned to Mushi. "Serve all of us some Jasmine tea, will you?" Mushi bowed and headed for the kitchen.

"A long time ago, I was a young lad—in fact around your ages. My father, Azulon, took me to outskirts of the impregnable city of Ba Sing Se on a vacation and told me how that with the Avatar out of the way, the city would soon fall…and that it would likely be my duty to conquer it. However, I was still a naïve teenager then. Heck, I didn't know much about the seriousness of the war yet. I was just a boy on a fieldtrip with my friends: Jeong Jeong, Piandao, Pakku, and Feng. But you know them."

"What?" Aang shouted. "You knew Jeong Jeong, Pakku, and Piandao? They're all masters!"

Iroh realized that Aang still hadn't met the Order of the White Lotus yet. Katara then asked, "Well, it makes sense you know most of them. They're Fire Nation. But what about Pakku? He's a waterbender!"

"Oh," Iroh said. "He's a good friend. I met him at during a scouting of the Northern Water Tribe. Another long story… Let's just say that he was on a journey of redemption with us after loosing the love of his life. But I'll save that one for later. So anyway, we found a legendary library in the Earth Kingdom."

"Wan Shi Tong's Library?" Aang asked.

"Why, yes." Uncle snapped his fingers. "How'd you know? That library's a myth!"

"Well, we ran into a professor and he took us there." Aang further explained.

"So is it looking as grand as always?"

"It sank beneath the desert surface…" Toph abruptly said.

"Completely?" The children nodded. "Oh, that's too bad."

"About the library?" Zuko asked.

"Oh yeah. The library." He began to murmur to himself again. "Well, seeing that you know about it already, I can skip the desert journey part, the being captured by Sandbenders part, and the cactus juice fiasco… Now where does that leave me?" His face finally lit up. "Ah! So my friends and I found this library in the desert. In fact, only a tower of the library was jutting out of the surface of the desert…"

Mushi placed a cup of jasmine tea for each of the teenagers and Iroh.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Flashback begins._

_Iroh, Pakku, Jeong Jeong, Piandao and Feng slide down a rope from the opening of the spire. _

Feng was leading the group as they slid down a rope. "Hurry up guys, we can't let that darn fox get away with my book!"

One of Wang Shi Tong's foxy knowledge seekers had infiltrated the teenagers' tents earlier and ran off with one of Feng's books.

"Slow down Feng… That book of yours wasn't so important." Iroh shouted down through the chasm. He could hear the echoes.

"What do you mean? It was second edition! I bet that darn fox knew that!" Feng responded. As Iroh and his friends slid down the rope to chase down Feng, they saw many alien symbols carved into the walls. The spire that they entered from turned out to be a tower, and the entrance to a much bigger building below the desert.

When Feng reached the bottom of the rope and looked up, his mouth was agape. "Oh my stars…" He stood on an intersection of two bridges (something like a crossroad), and in all directions were rows and rows of bookshelves. There was a sense of mystery and awe in the atmosphere, created by the blue lamps strewn across the walls of the Library. Then Iroh, Jeong Jeong, Pakku, and Piandao landed next to Feng. They were amazed too. Beneath them was a seemingly bottomless chasm. This was definitely a huge library.

"Look at this endless sea of knowledge…" Feng said. "I could spend an eternity down here reading all of these books." He grabbed his book bag and headed for the nearest bookshelf. Iroh and his friends ran. Before Feng could reach one, however, a huge owl appeared and perched right in front of the five. "And whom may you children be?"

Feng dropped his bag and shivered. "We—we…" He choked on the words and ran behind Iroh. "We were just chasing down one of those foxes…he took my book!"

The fox appeared under the owl's wing. "Those are not foxes. They're my knowledge seekers." The owl grabbed the book in the fox's mouth with his wing. "_An Atlas of the World_." Then the owl saw the latter part of the title. "Second edition. Impressive."

"But-but it's my book!" Feng protested in a quivering tone. "I need it back!"

"I'm sure we can make a deal. Tell you what, young scholar. If you let me keep this book, I'll let you look around my library."

Upon hearing this offer, Feng smiled. He was an entusiastic student, first in the Fire Nation Academy, never backing down when he had the chance to learn something. "Awesome! Guys let's go take a look." Feng turned and ran off for the bookshelves.

"I see your friend is interested in my library. How about you guys?" He stretched his neck and peered at Iroh and the other children.

"Well, I have always wanted to learn about the niches to tea-making," Iroh said. "Plus, some instructions on the arts of Firebending wouldn't be bad."

"No problem…" The owl smiled. "I have all sorts of books on brewing and bending."

Before Iroh could take a step, however, the owl lifted his wing.

"Uh-uh-uh." The owl shook his head. "The Scholar's Code dictates that in return for your stay, I'll need a book from each of you."

"Can we leave Feng, here?" Jeong Jeong tugged Iroh's sleeve. Though Jeong Jeong was just as bitter as his current self, he seemed to have more humor when he was younger.

"Hey, we came on this field trip together, and we are going to stick together. Besides, I bet they have some cool information on all sorts of stuff we're interested." Iroh responded as he fumbled through Feng's bag and grabbed four books. He handed them to the Owl. The Owl inspected each of the books and nodded. "You are free to visit any rooms inside my Library. Any except for the Chamber of Ancient Arts."

"All right, guys," Iroh cheered. "Let's dig into some books!"

* * *

_Jeong Jeong and Pakku are sitting in the Hall of Bending, one of the sections in Wan Shi Tong's Library. The Hall of Bending was a very luxurious room. In the middle of the room there was a fountain and several unlit torches surrounding the fountain. The bookshelves were stationed around the fountain in circles. The shelves were first organized by nation. Then ordered by the difficulty of the bending techniques. And finally ordered by last names._

"What does this book on Firebending mean? All it says is breathing, breathing, breathing! Where's the advanced techniques? The Flaming Tongue Whip? The Rocket Boots Lift Off?" He flipped through the pages. "Those are located only in one chapter, while information on breathing and stance take up five!" Jeong Jeong closed the book and looked at the title. "_Firebending for the Masters_? What a lie." He said in a mocking tone and threw the book down at the floor. It was only until several years later, it seemed that he learned to truly appreciate the values of firebending basics.

"Quiet down, Jeong." Pakku said, raising his palm at Jeong Jeong's face, indicating that he needed silence. "I need to focus my mind, and I need quiet. If I cannot concentrate, I can't ever learn how to turn water into ice." Though he had mastered most of the techniques of water bending, he had difficulty changing liquid phases. He closed his eyes, focusing hard on the water ball that was levitating in front of him. "Besides, don't let that huge Owl know that you're destroying his books. He'll be furious"

"Yeah," Piandao said as he walked into the room and slid a shutter over the entrance. "We're in a library. Don't shout or mess around with the books. Especially these books—they're ancient. They were probably written by some of the greatest geniuses in the world. You know that old proverb? 'With age comes wisdom.'"

Jeong Jeong nodded. "You're probably right." He squatted and readied his position, spreading his legs wide. "Just as the book says. Breathe, Jeong Jeong. Fire comes from the breath. You can do this."

Then, the shutter slammed open. Iroh ran in such a hurry that he was taking deep breaths. Furthermore, he bumped into Piandao and the two fell over. "Guys…" He said excitedly, "You won't believe what I have!" He was smiling uncontrollably.

"_Herbal Tea for Dummies_?" Jeong Jeong said mockingly. Everyone other than Iroh laughed. Iroh stopped smiling and glared at each. "No, he said. This is much, much more important and special. Look at this!" He took out a piece of paper from his a canister around his belt. He pulled it slowly, for it was old and easily tear-able.

"A piece of paper? _That_ is what you're getting all excited about?" Pakku asked. He dropped his ball of water over his head to make sure he wasn't dreaming of Iroh's insanity.

"Not just any piece of paper, guys. This paper is from the Chamber of the Ancient Arts!"

"Chamber of the Ancient Arts? The only room that the Owl forbid you from entering?" Piandao slapped his forehead. "Why do you always do whatever you are told not do?" He shook his head in disbelief of Iroh's behavior.

"What? You would have left it there? This is the Owl's prized-possession paper!" Iroh exclaimed.

Pakku gently snatched the paper from Iroh's hand. "It doesn't seem so special to me. Heck, this thing only has four dots on it!" The four dots weren't even in array.

"Yes, that's all it has," Iroh conceded. "But the markings was made by one of the most powerful Avatar in the world—Avatar Liang-Shek!"

"_The_ Avatar Liang-Shek?" The three other children said amazed. "The only being to have mastered all four elements and spirit-bending?" They had all heard of the myths regarding Avatar Liang-Shek. No one knew much of Liang-Shek's life, but they all knew that he had learned the arcane art of bending one's energy.

"That room, the Chamber of Ancient Arts," Iroh continued, "Apparently was the room in which Liang-Shek found out how to control energy as a form of bending! Look, here's solid proof." He placed two books down into the middle between the four of them. One was a journal of a previous Avatar's journey into the Spirit World, while the other was a book titled, _Bending Origins: Energy Channeling_.

Though the books supported Iroh's argument, Jeong Jeong still wasn't convinced of Iroh's claims. "Sure, those books might have information on the ancient arts…but who is to say Liang-Shek learned them here."

"Because the Owl told me." Iroh curtly retored. It was as simple as that.

"He told you? What? He forbid you from going into that room! Why would he tell you?"

"Nothing that a book or two couldn't buy. Heck, I gave him three and he even showed me the Chamber of the Secret Arts." He sat cross-legged and shot flames into several of the torches surrounding the fountain. His friends sat down around the torch. "The Owl told me how a previous Avatar by the name of Liang-Shek had come into the Library to study bending. He was already a master of all four elements then, but he had come to learn more. He camped for several weeks in the library, reading through the many books in the various shelves. He finally, though, found what he was searching for: The Chamber of the Secret Arts. He stayed there for another week before razing the entire room and fleeing the Library with some of the books on Spirit-Bending. The two books I found were only part of a few that survived the fire."

"What?" Paindao was shocked. "That's crazy! Why would he destroy books in this library? They're treasures of knowledge. I bet they're worth even more than jewels!"

"Because… he probably made an amazing discovery that he dared not to share with anyone." Iroh said, solemnly. The other three were both intrigued and creeped. Iroh continued his story. "And you know about the Scholar's code that the Owl was talking about? Apparently it was started by Liang-Shek. Before he left the Library, he threw this parchment," He held the paper with four dots out. "And shouted to the Owl: 'Keep this paper, Wan Shi Tong, it has the most precious and important knowledge on it of all of history!'"

"So," Pakku said, scratching his chin. "This paper might help us learn about Avatar Liang-Shek's life and the secret to understanding energy-bending?"

"Of course," Iroh said as he stood up. "We're on this field trip to learn about bending and we come upon this library of infinite resources. Should we just leave all of this information to waste?" The other three shrugged and nodded weakly. Though they hated to admit it, Iroh did have a point.

"So what do you guys think?" Iroh asked.

Before any response could be made, they heard the owl's loud groan. He squawked loudly and each knew why he was mad. The Owl had discovered that Iroh tampered with the contents in the prohibited area.

"Darn it." Iroh said, kneeling down to pick up some of Piandao's books on sword fighting. "Pick up your books—any books that you deem important. We better scram…"

"Iroh, why'd you have to do this?" Piandao groaned and grabbed his sword, which lay beside the fountain They all ran out of the room and into the main chamber of the entire library.

Feng was just outside the room holding a pile of books in his arms. "Hey guys, look at all the information I found on the celestial bodies! The lunar eclipse, the solar eclipse, the comet..." Jeong Jeong grabbed Feng's arm. "Less talking… more running! An angry owl is after us!" Jeong Jeong's sudden pull caused Feng to spill most of his books.

"An angry owl? What did you do now, Iroh?" Feng asked. He seemed to know the prankster fairly well. The Owl was at the other end of the Library. He spread his wings and flew across the huge chasm in between and landed right behind Feng. He stretched his neck and reached to grab Feng with his beak. "Drop those books, you double-crossing… You little…You're no better than that Avatar…"

"Avatar?" Feng asked surprised. He didn't know someone else had made a visit to the library other than him. "He's not talking about the Last Airbender, is he?"

Jeong Jeong let go of Feng and shouted, "Be quiet and keep running." He turned, took a deep breath, and shot a spray of fire in the Owl's direction. The Owl stopped swung his neck in a firebending fashion and negated Jeong Jeong's attack.

The Owl hollered menacingly, "It's no use to run. You can't escape. I've studied all of the bendings." Jeong Jeong, upon realizing that he couldn't hold the owl off, turned and ran after his friends. They ran into another room in the Library. Iroh shoved a bookcase over the entrance of the door.

"This isn't going to hold the Owl off at all!" Jeong Jeong complained, managing to slip through right before the bookcase blocked the entire opening.

"Stop panicking, Jeong," Pakku said. "We can handle this. All we need to do is fasten the bookcase tighter into the entrance." He closed his eyes and focused his mind. Opening his water bag pouch, he released a jet of water and shot it at the bookshelf and froze it.

"Not bad, Pakku," Iroh said. He scanned the room for an exit, but all there were were bookshelves. "Now how do we get out?" Iroh scratched his head. He could hear the Owl banging on the bookcase blocking the door.

Then, the ceiling into the room broke open. From there fell a man in his mid-to-late fourties. His hair was red, spiky, and irregular, and his eyes were unevenly sized. In fact, one of them was twitching. He was also missing a tooth. Every feature in his face seemed to demonstrate signs of a crazy genius. He turned to the children. "Have you guys seen a man with an arrow on his head?"

Iroh turned, amazed. "Wait… the Avatar… he's still alive?"

Bumi sniggered and snorted. "Well, have you seen him around here? I've searched all across the world, and I think this definitely must be place where he is hiding."

"Why should we tell you? We don't even know—" Jeong Jeong was cut off by Piandao, who blocked his mouth.

"Stop being so stubborn, Jeong. Think outside the box. We're stuck in a Library under the desert. He's an earthbender. He's our way out." He turned to face Bumi. "Let's have a compromise. You get us out of the Library, we'll tell you everything we know about the Avatar." Piandao was immediately interrupted by his friends.

"He's our worst enemy!" Iroh shouted. "Well, at least he should be…to us…" He was referring to himself, Piandao, Jeong Jeong, and Feng, all members of the Fire Nation. Obviously, he did not hate the other three--technically two--nations like his teachers instructed him to.

"And besides," Pakku whispered. "Like what Jeong was about to say, we know nothing about the current Avatar or his location."

"No we don't," Piandao admitted. "But we have this." He grabbed the journal of a previous Avatar's journal into the Spirit World. "If we can find a way into the Spirit World, the Realm of the Avatar and the spirits, we can learn more." He turned to Bumi. "So, what do you think about it? We'll give you all our information."

Bumi was in the middle of smelling her fingertips. Then he realized Piandao directed the question to him. He snorted again. "I would have helped you anyway… but sure!"

He summoned a staircase out made out of earth and they all ascended out of the hole that Bumi made. The owl broke the bookcase and ran into the room. When he noticed that they had escaped from the room already, he pulled his head out and turned to face the highest floor. There, on the intersection (or crossroads) of the two bridges he saw all of the children climbing a rope.

The Owl, knowing that he didn't have much time left, squawked again. Hearing this noise, one of his knowledge seekers appeared at the top of the tower and began gnawing the rope.

"Faster, or the rope will snap!" Iroh commanded. Even though he was highest on the rope, not even he could get out before the rope snapped and sent all of the children landing on the bridge. The rubbed their sore rumps. Then, they saw the Owl approaching them, flapping his wings madly.

"If I had learned the Rocket Boots lift off," Jeong Jeong complained, rubbing his temples, "I could have just blasted my way out!"

Pakku turned to Bumi. "Can you Earthbend us out of here?"

"Hmm…" Bumi thought. "Give me some time." He began to bend earth underneath where they were all standing.

Iroh got up and turned to Jeong Jeong. "Jeong, it's time we do it."

Jeong Jeong's eyes widened. "Wait… You don't mean the Disappearing Dragon? We've never mastered it individually! And this is such a huge group to do it with! We'll get roasted if we try!"

"It's our only shot. We'll be that owl's dinner if we don't!" Iroh shouted back.

Jeong Jeong nodded. "According to the book, we need to take deep breaths and match the rhythm of our breathing. It'll magnify the strength of our flames"

Iroh nodded in return. They both squatted and began breathing deeply. The Owl got closer and closer and stretched his neck to bite one of the children. But before he could get a bite, huge flames burst out from Iroh and Jeong Jeong's arms. The Owl backed off and flew in another direction to find another opening for attack. Iroh and Jeong Jeong then swirled their arms around like a waterbender, circulating their flames as if the fire were mini-comets and they, the benders, were the two foci in the ellipse. The flames spinning around the group protected them, and Iroh and Jeong Jeong summoned more flames. Eventually, they gathered enough flames and formed a huge sphere of fire around themselves and the group.

"What? What's going on? What is this?" The Owl was in disbelief. He had never learned of this Fire Bending maneuver. "How are you keeping so much fire alive all at once?"

"You can't learn everything form the books!" Iroh shouted through the globe of fire. The sphere started out huge, but with every passing second, it shrank. The Owl chuckled, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before the shield of fire wore off. However, when the flames finally disappeared, had everybody inside the sphere had gone. They were nowhere to be seen.

The Owl turned and searched the entire Library, but soon remembered his readings on mirages and realized that he had been fooled. Turning back to where the sphere had been, he saw that the group was all there when the effect of the Disappearing Dragon wore off. They hadn't escaped or vanished at all! Bumi, by then, had created a huge mass of earth below them and then pushed the mass upwards, causing a small pillar to erupt from the ground where they were standing to send the entire group flying out of the tower and out of the Library.

* * *

_Flashback Ends_

_Back at the teashop..._

"We became friends with that crazy Earthbender ever since he saved us. However, we knew that each of our goals were different. Bumi was in search of the Avatar. I, Jeong Jeong, Piandao, and Feng were tied to a Nation driven in world conquest. Honestly, I think none of us were interested in dominating the world. Pakku… well, who knew what he had in mind. We decided that the only way we could stay together would be to form a club. This club, the White Lotus, eventually became the Order of the White Lotus."

"I knew it!" Sokka exclaimed. "We weren't the only ones to double-cross Wan Shi Tong! You guys and that other Avatar did it too!"

"Wait..." Aang said. "The Disappearing Dragon… I saw that maneuver before. He turned to Katara. "Didn't Jeong Jeong use it to wrap himself into flames and disappear from Zhao?"

"Why, yeah, that maneuver he did was Disappearing Dragon. It was just done a lot faster." Katara said.

"How come the Owl never learned that Fire Bending technique?" Zuko asked. "Not even I've ever heard of it."

"That's because…" Iroh said smugly and crossed his arms. "I made it up."

"What?" Zuko shouted angrily. "Don't tell me you made up the entire story! What a waste of time!"

"No the story and everything that happened is true. What was made-up was that maneuver. Jeong Jeong and I conceived it. It's sort of like the lightning redirection technique, I taught you, nephew."

Everyone was relieved that Iroh's story was true. "We conceived that move after studying the arts of waterbending from Pakku. We learned that Fire, more than any other element, is hard to handle. It is very volatile and can be very dangerous if mishandled. Furthermore, it needs fuel to run. By spinning it in a circle, we exposed it to more oxygen than usual to keep the flames alive."

Aang then remembered Jeong Jeong's speech on fire's insatiable hunger to devour land. "Though we could easily shoot flames out from our hands, it needs to flow in order to be kept, and that's what we learned from the waterbenders. As long as we continued swinging the flames around us and creating more, we generated a shell—a huge sphere of flames, to be precise."

"How about your disappearance, though?" Sokka asked.

"Now, our disappearing act also comes from waterbending. I noticed, as Pakku practiced, that water can bend light or vision. When he dragged a huge blob of water around him, his face and body were all distorted. From my point of view at least. Using this as our source of inspiration, Jeong Jeong and I decided to use the sphere, or the Dragon as we called it, as cover. We then changed the density of air around us to bend light, and in turn, vision around our bodies. Therefore, we created a temporary mirage, escaping the Owl. Hence the name, the _Disappearing_ Dragon."

"Amazing!" Sokka shouted. He had to admit that Uncle Iroh was resourceful.

"It is. It was the special bonds and connection of the four elements and nations that taught us these amazing tricks. That's why we decided to stick together and remain in contact even after our adventure."

"Wow…" Aang said. "That was quite an adventure. Who knew that young Jeong Jeong was such a hothead?"

"Or the fact that Pakku had trouble learning how to turn water into ice." Katara followed up.

"Every master has to take his first step," Iroh said as he drank some of the jasmine tea.

"Well, we all know one thing, though…Piandao was the best!" Sokka bursted. "He convinced Bumi to send them right out."

"Well, Bumi would have done it anyway…" Toph leaned back on her chair. "Meaning that Bumi was the one who saved them all. _Earthbending is the best_!"

The gang then all got into a heated discussion on which one of their masters was the best. Iroh was dumbfounded. "Hey, the point of the story was to enlighten you all on Avatar Liang-Shek! It wasn't for you guys to argue which one of us was the greatest…though I would appreciate a nomination for me…"

During the intense debate, no one knew that Aang had left the group.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Aang is sitting outside of the teashop with legs crossed, meditating. He is communicating with the Spirit World, calling on his past lives._

"This is great news, Aang!" Katara said when she saw Aang outside the door. She was the first one to notice his disappearance, and she snuck out of the room. "If you managed to use Spirit Bending to remove Firelord Ozai's bending capabilities…you can use Spirit Bending to bring back Airbending to the world!"

Aang opened his eyes and relaxed his position. He recalled the words of the giant lion turtle he met before the final battle with Ozai and shook his head. "It's not that easy, Katara. Sure, I can bend energy to revoke one of his bending abilities, but I can't bend energy to grant one bending abilities. I'll be corrupted by his spirit and destroyed in the process."

"I know that, Aang." Katara said. She sat down right next to him on the steps and grabbed his shoulders, trying to convince him to listen. "But we now know a master of Spirit Bending: Avatar Liang-Shek. And what's even more amazing is," She pointed her finger at Aang's chest. "He's one of your past lives. He's within you!"

Aang shook his head disappointingly and spoke softly, "No… Katara. While you guys were talking, I looked inside myself and searched my past lives… and he isn't within me."

Katara's eyes widened in disbelief.

_Fades to black._

* * *

Note: I think that this Order of the White Lotus story is still in canon. After all, its origin hasn't been revealed yet.

I purposely portrayed Jeong Jeong has a fairly short-tempered boy because I wanted to demonstrate the changes during all the years. Iroh was quite a prankster when he was young because he hasn't learned about the importance of the spirits yet. And though I hint on Iroh's famous _Journey into the Spirit World_ with the Spirit World journal of XX Avatar, I will not be addressing that issue in my story. Nor the story of Zuko's mother for that matter. Sorry.

I hope you enjoyed the story, and once again, reviews are welcome!


	3. The Locket and the Clock, Act 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

So here's the third and final act to the first chapter in my version of Book 4: Air.

I'm sorry if these three chapters were boring, but I had to set the premise for the story. Furthermore, things can stat to get confusing with all of the puzzle solving. Sorry about that too. I hope you can follow along and enjoy the story. Please read and review. Don't forget the notes at the end.

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Locket and the Clock**

Act 3:

"What?" Katara asked in shock. She was astounded by Aang's previous statement. "Avatar Liang-Shek is not within you?"

Aang shook his head sadly. "On a turtle lion before my fight with Firelord Ozai, I managed to meet my previous lives, Avatars Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yang Chen, through meditation. I thought that if I could meet those four, I could find Avatar Liang-Shek the same way. However, when I meditated, he wasn't there."

Flashes of their trip into the chamber of Avatars at the Southern Air Temple rushed through Katara's mind. There were likely a hundred Avatars, so Liang-Shek was likely one of Aang's past lives.

"How's that possible, though?" Katara thought for a moment. She only had one answer. "So Zuko's uncle was lying! He _did_ make up that entire story. Is that what you are telling me?" She doubted, however, that Zuko's uncle would be able to meticulously weave such an intricate story if it weren't true. Besides, Iroh wasn't someone who overdid his jokes.

"No, Uncle Iroh's story is likely true." Aang said. He knew that his statement would only confuse her more and averted her gaze.

"Aang, you better not be kidding around." Katara was annoyed by Aang's vagueness in his responses. "You are contradicting yourself." She was getting impatient and increasingly mad, for she knew that someone was messing around with such a serious matter, and she was not happy about it. "If he's not lying about Liang-Shek's existence, how can you, a later life of the Avatar, not find him?"

"I know this is a hard concept to grasp, but please listen!"

Katara took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Aang," She said, she looked into the serenity of the setting sun. "It's just that, I thought either your or Iroh was making a joke out of such an important situation--I mean with this knowledge, we can save the world. It's not something we should be messing about." She kneeled down next to him. "Please, explain. How do you know he's missing?"

"You know about the Avatar reincarnation cycle, right?" Aang asked.

Katara nodded. She recalled the order of the statues once again from her visit to the Southern Air Temple. "Water, earth, fire, and air. The elements go in that order."

"Yes, those are the basics. Before Avatar Yang-Chen, the Avatar should've been a firebender. However, when I meditated, I didn't find one. Instead, I found an Earthbender before Yang Chen in the line of Avatars. I'm sure Liang-Shek was that missing firebender. It's almost as if he…broke out of the Avatar cycle and reincarnation process. What I don't know, however, is how."

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Katara enters the Jasmine Dragon again and finds Sokka arguing with Toph still. She finally explains to them Aang's dilemma._

"What do you mean he's missing?" Sokka asked. He was in as much shock as Katara was. "Aang's the Avatar. Liang-Shek is an Avatar too. Furthermore, Liang-Shek is gone from this world. He's a spirit. Of course they would know each other."

"I didn't get it either. But he seemed to be telling the truth. He sounded really serious." Katara said as she slid down back at the table.

"I bet this has something to do with Liang-Shek's prized paper that my Uncle found in the Library." Zuko said. "After all, Liang-Shek did call that parchment one of the most precious pieces of knowledge ever."

"That would be my guess, too." Iroh said. He picked up the tiny roll from the clock. "From this slip of paper, it seems that Brother Feng definitely solved the mystery, but I never received that parchment back from him. I didn't even get a message that he solved the great mystery."

Zuko and Toph then went into a flashback. They finally realized why the Fire Nation soldiers had captured Astronomer Feng and locked him in the underground research facility. He likely wrote a letter to tell Iroh of his discovery, but the message was intercepted by one of the Fire Nation's spy hawks. The Fire Nation learned of Feng's knowledge on the legendary spirit-bending master Liang-Shek and captured him to learn about the secrets of energy-bending. After all, that was the main focus of their scientific advancements: to design an energy-sapping machine.

"The Lotus Scroll," Zuko immediately burst out. "The lotus constellation I found in the observatory with Toph is the key." He remembered his visit to the Astronomer's Observatory on the Fire Nation Island before infiltrating the lab. _The Lotus is the first step to the path of enlightenment. _Everyone including Aang followed Zuko into his vacation house.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Inside Zuko's vacation house._

Zuko pulled out the scroll and unrolled it on a table in the living room. Everyone gathered around and looked at the Lotus constellation.

"Ah ha! This is it! This is the parchment!" Iroh shouted excitedly. He pointed at the four major stars of the constellation. "Those were the original four dots on the paper I stole. Feng must have been fairly crafty disguising the dots as parts to a lotus constellation. What about these other stars though?"

There were three types of stars. Four were huge blots (Liang-Shek's original four dots). Several were marked with crosses. The rest were little dots. Sokka scratched his chin as he studied the parchment.

"This looks familiar." Sokka said. Pointing to the cross-shaped dots.

"But you've never seen this scroll before, Snoozles." Toph retorted.

"You're right. But I seem to recognize the pattern." Then his face lit. "That's it! I may have never seen this paper at all, but I've seen a lot of maps." He took out one from his bag and placed it underneath the world map. "See! That's it! I knew it!"

"What is?" Katara asked. That question seemed to be on everyone's mind.

"Look closer…" Sokka pointed to the starred dots. "See look. Each of these stars is on exactly a major city or location on the map. This starred star is over Omashu. Another one's at the capital of the Southern Water Tribe (our home). Here's one over the Western Air Temple…" He continued talking, and everyone began to see what Sokka saw. He was right. The map seemed to be the complement to Liang-Shek's ever-so-precious paper.

"Now we have a lead." Sokka said. "These four original huge dots are referring to four locations." One was at the Northern Water Tribe. The other was at a body of water north of Kyoshi Island, the Kyoshi Sea. The third was on a Fire Nation Island. The last was at the Eastern Air Temple. "I bet these four locations are the key to Liang-Shek's secret. Aang might not know where he is, but we can definitely learn something of him if we travel to these places." Sokka slammed his palm on the scroll unraveled on the table. He was proud that he solved the parchment himself.

Everybody nodded in consent and amazement of not only Sokka's reasoning but also Feng's planning. It all made sense. He turned to find Aang to tell him what must be done, but Aang was nowhere to be found in the building.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Katara walks out of Zuko's vacation house and finds Aang in the backyard. Aang had left the discussion before it even started._

Katara walked into the yard and found Aang sitting there. Aang knew why she came to find him.

"Aang, I think Sokka may have found a lead. We're on our way to finding Liang-Shek. Why don't you come on in and have a talk."

Aang disregarded her request. He wasn't ready to face Sokka and face the truth of going on another mission. "After nearly one hard year of struggle—mastering all of the elements, rescuing refugees and prisoners, and escaping the clutches of the Fire Nation—I thought that we had finally succeeded. I thought that we finally saved the world and sent it onto the right tracks…" Aang looked at Katara. "I'm sorry if I was being difficult with you earlier explaining the situation... It's just that I don't know if I'm going to be ready for another adventure like this." He grabbed her hand. Aang was the naïve boy in the iceberg, who upon hearing any news of an adventure would have jumped right up and begged to go. The preparations for the final battle and the showdown had really taught him the seriousness of the war or any duty of the Avatar. He didn't know if he could risk any more lives on such a mad quest. Again.

Katara walked up to him and placed her hand on Aang's shoulder. "I know it is a difficult concept to swallow Aang, knowing that after all of our hardships and suffering that we have yet another task before us, but you're the Avatar. It's your duty to. Besides, I thought you would be elated if you could bring Airbending back to the world."

"I thought so too. Finding out that all my people had died, especially my mentor, Monk Gyatso, was one of the hardest things for me to cope with the entire journey. I thought that I was alone in a foreign and newer world, tasked with the impossible duty of defeating the Firelord. But then, I didn't know that I would meet many friends who would help me through every trial I face." He turned to Katara and sought for her sympathy with his next few lines. "I know this may sound selfish, but with Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and especially you, Katara, I feel that I have everything I need. I don't want to risk it all, now, especially on seeking a master who might not exist. Not only is he not a part of me (or any of the Avatars for that matter), I haven't even seen any of his shrines or temples of him! We have a _Kyoshi_ Island, a temple for Avatar _Roku_, but not a single altar or anything for Liang-Shek!"

"You have to believe, though." Katara sighed. Convincing Aang would be difficult. But then, she realized that her experiences with the Avatar would provide the strongest argument. "Remember that just several months ago, you were frozen in an iceberg. You were against all odds of defeating one of the most ruthless and most powerful Firebenders in the world. But Sokka and I stuck with you. Toph and Zuko did so too. We all believed in your destiny, and if we didn't… we wouldn't be where we are today. This master is the only way to restore balance to the world. Are you going to let such a chance pass?"

"But it's not the right thing to do! Continue the line of airbenders through spirit-bending? It doesn't seem right… I don't think I'll be able to handle it all…"

"Aang… Don't doubt yourself. Everyone you care about… We'll all be there with you, making sure that you're ok. We'll lift your spirits when you're down, comfort you when you're hurt. It'll just be like old times." Katara smiled at him. "Besides, we won't have an obsessive banished prince or an insane princess chasing us down." Both of them laughed.

Aang thought about Zuko—how he chased them to the North Pole but eventually taught him the art of firebending. He thought about Sokka—the sarcastic yet crafty Water Tribe Warrior who planned out the destruction of the Fire Nation drill. He thought about Toph—the rebellious girl who cared for them more than it seemed. Finally, he thought about Katara—the girl of his wildest dreams ever since first meeting her. True, though they lived a life of peril, but they still had many fun experiences during their three seasons of travel.

Then, Aang thought about his bailing a hundred years ago, how his decision to flee the Air Temple eventually led to his people's demise.

He knew that the answer was clear. He had to right the wrong of his past. It was his fault that the genocide occured. He stood up. "You're right Katara. I'll have to find Avatar Liang-Shek and master spirit-bending, even if it isn't the best thing to do."

"Come on, Aang," Katara stood up and opened her arms, beckoning for an embrace. Aang walked up and they hugged. "Let's tell the world that Team Avatar is back in business."

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Back inside Zuko's vacation house._

"Aang, you're back!" Sokka exclaimed.

"What were you up to, Twinkletoes?" Toph asked.

"Uh…Nothing." Aang scratched his head sheepishly. He didn't want to tell anyone he almost cowered out from his duty. "Just some meditation."

"Well, we've got big news…We have found four locations on the map. We believe that at those four places we can learn more about Liang-Shek."

"Sounds good to me," Aang said, yawning. Night was approaching, and he was tired. "Let's choose a destination, pack, and head out let's say, um...next week?"

"No…" Iroh's voice interrupted. "You have to depart now." He looked at Feng's clock. It continued to tick and countdown, but it seemed that it would reach its mark soon. "Judging from this clock, we only have a month's time left." He handed it to Zuko. "Whatever you do, you must beat the clock. Who knows what will happen when it counts down…" Zuko nodded.

"Well, if we only have a month's time to search all four locations," Zuko said, thinking, "We need to split up. I'll take Kat—"

Aang knew what Zuko was going to say. He quickly leapt and cut in. "I want to choose first!" The two then got into a squabble. Iroh shook his head decided that he would have to settle it with a Paisho tile.

"Call it." Iroh said. He flipped the tile.

"Tails," Aang said.

Zuko and Aang stared at the tile as it flipped through the air. It finally landed, and the Lotus insignia was on top, meaning heads. Aang quickly airbended the tile, but it still ended with the symbol on top. "Heads it is," Zuko said. Without any hesitation, he chose Katara.

"What?" Aang asked. "But I want Katara! Can't you choose someone…someone like Sokka?"

"Hey!" Sokka asked. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing!" Aang quickly defended himself. "I'm just saying this because… you know, Katara and I have been traveling together for a long time…and it would be weird if—"

"I traveled with you as long as she did!" Sokka shouted. He was deeply annoyed, but everyone knew Aang's reason. He didn't want to be separated from his girlfriend.

"It's all right, Aang." Katara said. Zuko needs me. "After all, he still needs time to recuperate, and I'm the only one with the healing hands."

"Uh…yes, of course." Zuko blushed as he scratched the back of his head. He had forgotten this completely valid reason. "And besides," he said. "The North Pole and the Fire Nation are a lot closer than the other two destinations."

"Fine." Aang pouted. He couldn't argue with Katara and crossed his shoulders. "I choose Toph then. We get the other two destinations."

"What is wrong with you people?" Sokka flailed his arms around. "I'm just as useful as any one of you. Don't forget, I was the one who solved the map's secret. Sure I can't bend, but I can fight!" He pulled out a stick and swung it around.

"Fine, we get Snoozles!" Toph burst.

"Finally!" Sokka said. "Someone appreciates me!"

"I need somebody to keep me entertained on my trip." Sokka slapped his forehead, amazed by Toph's insensitivity. He knew that she was going to pull some earthbending pranks on him. "That was not the answer I was expecting. I want to go with Zuko!" He slung his arms around Zuko's neck and acted as though they were best buddies.

"Fine," Toph shrugged. "I guess that if you three are going to the North Pole and Fire Nation islands, Twinkletoes and I will be going to the Air Temple and Kyoshi Island."

Sokka completely forgot that Kysohi Island was one of the destinations too. Suki and the rest of the warriors were there. "You know, Zuko. On second thought, I'll tag with Aang." Toph smiled. She managed to trick Sokka into traveling with them.

Zuko didn't care about which team Sokka traveled with. "All right then, Aang. You get Toph and Sokka. I get Katara. What about you, Uncle?"

"I have a teashop to run." Uncle replied. "I'll help as much as I can, but my job right now is to remain here." Zuko nodded and bowed at Iroh. Then Iroh turned to Toph. "By the way, apprentice, you're doing well. Remember our special recipe." He handed her several flowers of Saber-Tiger Lilies. "The knockout tea speical," he winked.

Toph smiled. "Thanks." She put them into a bag around her waist and ran to grab her other stuff.

Zuko went into his room and began to pack his clothes and his weapons. He took clothes from his vacation trunk and shoved them into a tiny knapsack. Out from the clothes he picked up, Mai's locket again. He looked inside and found a portrait of his girlfriend. It was one of the few portraits of her showing a smile. She said she did it just for him, so he would want to head back to the Fire Nation as soon as possible to cheer her up again and make her smile again. In his other hand was the Astronomer's clock. He couldn't believe that after traveling all over the world in search of the Avatar, he would have to do so again. Placing the locket onto his chest, he remembered her stand at the Boiling Rock, where Mai had betrayed her best friend, Azula, out of her love for him. And now it was time for him to make a decision, too.

Zuko loved the world as much as he loved his girlfriend. One year ago he thought these feelings were impossible. All that mattered to him was the throne. His father. Himself. But now, it was about everyone else. And it was his destiny to set the Fire Nation on the right course. It was his destiny to help the Avatar.

He hoped that Mai would understand his prolonged vacation. After some contemplating, he stuffed the locket back into his trunk. He placed the clock into his pocket and got ready for his departure. "It looks like it's another adventure for me, Mai. Good-bye," he said, putting on a coat and walking out of the room.

* * *

_Scene switches_

After the two groups exchanged hugs, Aang sighed in disappointment. He leaned in to kiss Katara on the cheek. "I guess we're going our seperate ways, then." She nodded sadly, too.

"Don't worry, though, Aang. We'll always be together." Katara tried to comfort him "And... don't worry. We've been through so much, and we can definitely do it again."

Aang, Sokka, and Toph got onto Appa (Momo was on Aang's shoulder). As they sailed eastward into the night, Katara and Zuko waved to them goodbye.

Zuko placed his arm on Katara's shoulder, pointing ot a Fire Nation airship that was parked near the Earth Kingdom capitol palace. There destinations were set, and their journey was beginning...

_Fades to white._

* * *

Note: Here's the end to the first chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it. This chapter was fairly long, and just as a a heads up, the latter episodes/chapters won't be as long (I think).

The next chapter is called "The Festival, Act 1." Hope you are looking forward to it. There, Aang meets a Fire Nation girl there who reveals to him that though the war has ended, his duties as Avatar aren't over yet. Meanwhile, Sokka and Toph get involved in a game of poker, where they meet a mysterious man who raises the ante...and could lead them closer to the enigmatic Avatar Liang-Shek.

Thanks for reading, and once again, please review.


	4. The Festival, Act 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

So here is the second episode, entitled "The Festival."

* * *

_A man walks down the dirt path. Ahead of him, he sees numerous lights strung together and a huge crowd of people. As he enters the field, he notices various stands littered across the field. Some are for fortune telling, some are for storytelling, and some are even for landscape painting. He doesn't care about the events, though. As he sifts through the throngs of people, he sees the faces of high government officials and also the faces of commoners from the nearby villages and towns. He doesn't care about them either. As he walks, he steps on a puddle and looks at its reflection. His hair is a tangled mess and his mustache has grown longer and thicker. His eye bags are sagging, all indicating that he hasn't had rest in a long time. As he searches to grab a knife to cut his mustache, he feels a clock in the pocket. He takes it out and looks at it. It is counting down, and he has only around 29 days left. He turns and looked at the carnival again. He scans the stalls and the people. All that he cares about is finding someone who can give him the answer to the mysteries of the clock in his hand._

* * *

Voiceover:

Katara:

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air.  
Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.  
Only the Avatar, master of all Four Elements, could stop them. After a hundred years have passed, my brother and I found a new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang, who returned to end the Fire Nation's conquest and return peace to the nations._

_But now, we face a new threat...the balance and harmony we sought so hard to restore is on the brink of ruin unless Aang restores airbending to the world. And although his elemental bending is great and his spirit is strong, he has a lot to learn before he can fulfill his duty. But I believe... Aang can save the world._

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 2:**

**The Festival**

...

His worst fear had finally come true: Katara was exactly right. The world still needed him, and he had to be there, no matter how dangerous or arduous the journey may be.

-Aang's thoughts

...

Act 1:

**The Clock's Countdown: 29 Days Left**

_Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Momo are riding on Appa as they fly over the Earth Kingdom and head for the Eastern Air Temple._

Aang and his group had been soaring over Earth Kingdom territory for one full straight day. Because they had left Ba Sing Se in a hurry, they had not stocked up on food and supplies yet. Flying over the eastern coast of the Earth Kingdom, Aang looked for a stop to rest before making their final crossing over the sea to the Eastern Air Temple, one of the locations marked on the Astronomer's map.

During the entire duration of the ride, Aang spoke not a single word. He either was staring at the moon, thinking about Katara or daydreaming about what he could be doing with her right now.

"Aang, watch out! We're getting too close to the trees!" Sokka pointed to the forest below Appa as the trees began scratching his chest. Appa groaned before Aang finally woke up from his depression and daydream and pulled the reins, lifting Appa higher into the sky.

"What's wrong with you?" Sokka shouted angrily. "We can't complete our mission if you only have half a mind on this task."

"I'm sorry! I'm just really tired. We've been flying for one entire day. I need time to rest." Appa made a yawn. "Appa needs time to rest, too." He didn't want to tell Sokka he was lovesick, especially since he was Katara's brother.

Toph was leaning on the edge of the saddle of Appa. Though Sokka didn't manage to read Aang's lie, she could tell that Katara was the main reason for Aang's distraction. Despite the fact that she couldn't feel the vibrations of Aang's heart, she was still able to infer this because she paid more attention to Aang's tone and expression than on the mission.

"Maybe you're right," Sokka said. "Appa's tired. We better take a break. Besides," Sokka said as he opened a chest strapped at the end of the saddle. "We're low on food."

"There's a town nearby," Aang pointed to the moving and flashing lights down below them outside the edge of the forest. "I bet that would be a nice place to stay for awhile."

Sokka looked to where Aang pointed. "There's so many lights. It's almost as if a city were down there." But the area of the lights was too small to be a city. "It looks more like a festival or a big event actually. If we bring Aang in there, we're going to cause too much of a commotion."

Toph got up from her position, realizing that this possible festival could be the key to cheering Aang up. "Actually, I think it's a good idea if we actually go take a look at that festival."

Sokka pulled the reins and Appa swerved through the clouds and made a descent and headed for the ground.

When Appa landed, they left Appa in a forest and decided on what to do. Aang began to run toward the festival. Sokka grabbed Aang by the shirt. "Aang, don't go running away. We need to make a plan first. We can't have you wandering through the town."

"Why? It doesn't matter anymore! The war's over, I'm a hero! I don't need to disguise any more. They'll definitely welcome me."

"That's exactly it," Sokka interrupted. "We're on a mission with less that one month's time We can't have you strutting through the town and getting everyone's attention Remember what happened at Kyoshi Island? It'll only slow us down."

"Come on, Sokka. I want to have some fun." Aang said, who jumped up and circled around on his air scooter. He was clearly bored of their one day flight and wanted some more action.

"Besides," Toph said. "Remember that I never got to choose to go on a mini-vacation. Well, I want to take a break and hang out at that festival for awhile."

Sokka slapped his forehead. This was turning out to be like one of their Fire Nation excursions. (Ones that he didn't agree on going but had to anyway because the gang was too stubborn to refuse.) He stopped arguing. "Fine. But Aang, can you put on a disguise? We don't want to get stuck in one of these towns or events for a week. We have to reach the Air Temple soon, and even after that, we still have to go to the Kyoshi Sea." Then he turned to Toph. "And you have used your chance to forth a mini-vacation. I get next pick the next vaction."

"All right, Sokka, just calm down. We'll make it to both destinations." Aang said, trying to reassure him. "We'll check out this carnival and supply on some food for three hour tops. After a good night's sleep, we'll head off first thing for the Air Temple tomorrow!"

He heeded Sokka's warning and decided to go with an Earth Kingdom look this time. He put on a straw hat and some Earth Kingdom robes and ran off in the direction of the carnival.

* * *

_Scene switches_

They ran to the carnival and the first thing they saw was a banner with the words, "In Honor of the Restoration of Peace and the 113th Birthday of Avatar Aang, Savior of the World."

Sokka turned to face the young boy. "You didn't tell me that today was your birthday!"

Aang's face flushed red. "Well…I guess I kind of forgot." He had known well enough that today was in fact his birthday. He just didn't expect that the towns and cities across the world would still remember his special day, especially after 100 years.

"Don't tell me that the reason you feel depressed is because today is your birthday." Toph said. "You wanted to celebrate it with everyone, didn't you?"

Aang reached inside his bag and pulled out a snow globe. "Here's a model of Southern Water Tribe. I was thinking about giving it to Katara today… Just as a special gift for this special time and this special occasion, you know?"

Sokka pointed at the little figures in it. "Hey, look! You made a miniature Katara and me! Even Dad, Gran Gran and Pakku are in here!"

"That's not all." Aang said. He moved swayed his arms around and bended the water inside went spinning. The flakes that were originally resting on the bottom flew in a flurry. "Look, it's snowing at the Southern Water Tribe!"

Sokka pat Aang on the back. "Come on. Aang." He stashed the snow globe back into Aang's bag. "Let's take your mind off of that globe and have some fun."

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Aang and Toph walk around the field. Aang shows Toph around with his Air Nomad Knowledge. Sokka left to shop for meat and supplies._

The festival was a marvel. It was held in a field with several houses on the outskirts. There were plenty of stalls and people and even a garden filled with flowers and a huge stage. The theme of the carnival was anything Air-Nomad-ish or Avatar-ish in celebration of Aang's birthday.

As Aang and Toph walked around the field and gardens, Aang showed Toph all of the flowers. "These buds, their called Lemur's Ears."

"Lemur's Ears?" Toph asked

"Yeah. They're shaped like a lemur's ear. Smells like them too. They only bloom during the autumn. You seriously should see them at the Southern Air Temple. You can tell uncle that the make really nice tea."

"Yeah, thanks for the information, Twinkle Toes."

"But you know what's most amazing about Lemur's Ears? You place them into your ears and they give you the hearing of a lemur. It's the Air Nomad's national flower." He took one off and gave it to Toph. "Here."

"That's great. But I would rather like to have the ability to see." Toph retorted.

Aang didn't her though, for he was looking at the stalls. "Check it out! Face painting. I bet we can get you to look like a Kyoshi Warrior. Another choice would be the Sun Warriors…" Then he remembered he wasn't supposed to talk about the ancient and presumably dead race. "I meant… um… The Moon Fighters." Then he noticed a collection of gliders. "Hey check it out. Glider technology. Those must have been imported from the Northern Air Temple. You can see the mechanist's trademark carvings here." He then ran to a food stall. "Look at the fruit cakes!"

Though Toph appreciated Aang's enthusiasm, she decided hanging out with him wasn't the best idea. All he would talk about is airbending and flying, which she was uncomfortable with. "Can we do something else, Twinkle Toes?"

"Sure." Aang ran, picked up an instrument in the stalls, and began playing the bamboo flute, one of the Air Nomad's most famous instruments. "This uses air pressure to create the different pitches." Though Aang played it quite well, the cacophony all around ruined the mood for Toph. "Is there someplace fun around here? I want to see some action!"

"Some action, huh?" Aang took out a flyer from a nearby stall. "Hey, Toph. According to this flyer, there'll be this sweet fireworks show at the central stage in five minutes. How's that for action? Do you want to come with me and watch?"

"Hello, Twinkle Toes?" Toph waved her hand in front of her head. "I can't see. What's the point of watching fireworks if your only means of connecting to the spectacle is through sporadic explosions? Why don't you go ahead. I'll buy us some drinks and check up on you later." Toph waved and head for the drink stalls. Aang nodded and sat down somewhere near the stage.

The Ringleader of the carnival sections of the festival walked onto the stage. He seemed off balance and his words were slurred. "In celebration of Avatar Aang and the end of the war, we now present the Fireworks Dancers!" He bowed and walked off. The first row people could smell the smell of wine from his clothes.

_Fireworks Dancers?_ Aang thought. "This isn't a fireworks display. This is a dancing troupe!"

Five girls came from behind the curtains of the outdoor stage. They were dressed in red. They did a few somersaults and back flips, and followed by a few cartwheels. What shocked the audience the most was when the five jumped and sprayed fire out from their legs. No one expected them to be firebenders.

The sky was illuminated with the letters, A-A-N-G. Half of the people cheered and clapped, while the other half still tried to digest the thoughts of having firebenders, enemies of their nation, right before their eyes.

"For our next performance, we'll need a volunteer," the center performer said. "Someone fearless." She searched through the audience.

It was at that moment a person walked by and accidentally spilled his fizzy grape drink over Aang. Remembering Sokka's words on to reveal his being an airbender, he decided not to airbend his clothes dry. Rather, he waterbended the liquids all out. The performer spotted Aang's waterbending.

"You there. Second row." She pointed in the direction of Aang. Upon hearing this, Aang dropped the spilt liquids on her shirt again. "Yes, the one who had Liki nut juice spilled all over your shirt."

"Me?" Aang asked, pointing to himself. He began to panic. "You mustn't mean me. I can't perform! I'm just a lowly Earth Kingdom…er…refugee?"

The girl laughed. "Refugee or not, we're looking for you! You have what it takes." She waved her hand and gestured for Aang to approach the stage.

Aang didn't want to start a scene and approached the stage. That was the first time he appreciated the beauty of the girl in the middle. She had long dark-brownish hair hat fell to her waist. Her skin was a bit tan from all the heat she firebended. Finally, her eyes were big and blue. Everthing about her attracted him. Everything about her reminded him of Katara. As he stood there, studying the features, the five performers got together. They began to shoot and swirl fireballs around them, creating a huge sphere of fire, with them in the center. Aang finally understood that they were performing the Disappearing Dragon. When all of the flames were released, they had bended vision away from themselves and ran backstage.

The entire audience, upon watching they're miraculous disappearance, clapped their hands and cheered. Even for firebenders they had not seen such a feat performed before.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Every one of the performers has left except for Aang and the lead performer._

"So, Avatar," the girl asked. "What did you think of our performance?"

"You must have gotten it all wrong." Aang began to back off from the girl. "I'm not the Avatar! Look at these!" He pointed to his ripped Earth Kingdom suit. "I'm a lowly a Earth Kingdom refugee." He subtly earthbended some dirt onto his pants.

"Right…but you can waterbend."

"Yes, I'm a waterbending…" Then he realized his slip-up but continued his argument anyway. "I'm a waterbending Earth Kingdom refugee. So what?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "And I'm a firebending Earth Kingdom stage performer. Oh wait. I actually am."

Before Aang could find a way to correct himself and hide his identity, the girl leaned in and ripped off his hat. Underneath was a huge bald head with an arrow stretching to the forehead. "I knew it! You're not from the Earth Kingdom at all. You're an Air Nomad. You're the last airbender…the Avatar! And to think you've come to this little town on your birthday."

He had been caught. She eyed him carefully and scanned his entire face and body. "I didn't think that the savior of our world was this small. And for a one-hundred-and-thirteen year old, you're so young…and cute."

Aang blushed. "Hey…I'm the Avatar. Of course I could save the world and handle the Firelord!"

The girl laughed. "Hey, and I'm Mei Ling. You can just call me Mei. And I was just teasing. I knew you could handle the Firelord! I knew you would stop the Fire Nation." She then frowned.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot. You come from the Fire Nation don't you?" He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by his mistake. "I didn't mean to…I mean I had to… because if I didn't the world would be in great trouble…"

Then he finally realized that his duty as Avatar wasn't over yet. Despite the fact that the war had ended, the land was still scarred with strife and conflict. The roles had been reversed. Now Fire Nation citizens in the Earth Kingdom were under the pressure. There was still tension between the Four Nations. And as he thought about all of this, his worst fear had finally come true: Katara was exactly right. The world still needed him, and he had to be there, no matter how dangerous or arduous the journey may be.

_Fades to black._

* * *

Note: You'll find out about the mysterious man later. Thanks for reading and please review. In the next chapter, Sokka plays some poker! Yep. It's strange...


	5. The Festival, Act 2

Note: I do not own Avatar.

Sokka plays Poker in this act!

Just as a warning, I am not an expert on poker. There is a mention of poker in this chapter, however. Everything I write is based on logic and common sense (for me at least). If there is anything wrong, please tell me (nicely I hope).

The style of poker I'm talking about is Texas Hold 'Em. I hope you know the basics of the game because otherwise it'll be difficult to follow the story.

The suites in playing cards have been changed to the four elements. Texas Hold 'Em is now Omashu Hold 'Em. Why? I don't know.

Finally, I took a scene from _Good Will Hunting_. It's not to achieve the same purpose. I just thought was a cool scene in the movie.

I wish you all a good time reading this chapter. Please read and review.

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 2:**

**The Festival**

...

"It is our common ideals and beliefs that allow me to feel this special emotional bond between us, and that's what is driving me to continue on."

-Mei Ling, a Fire Nation performer, giving advice on friendship to Aang

...

Act 2:

_Toph is walking around the carnival, searching for Sokka._

Toph had told Aang that she was going to buy him a drink, but her real intention was to find Sokka and check up on how he was doing. The last thing she wanted to happen on this journey was to have Sokka spend all of their money on maps, tomes, and weapons, rather than food. It took her quite a long time to find him at the carnival, for she couldn't hear his voice over all of the other civilians hanging out there. She couldn't even sense his distinct footsteps, for he was the only one who wore Eel-skin boots (signature water tribe boots). As she asked around for the marketplace and the food stands, she finally understood why she didn't feel or hear him at all. He was likely sitting down and eating the food he bought already. When she approached the tables or sitting rocks, she still couldn't find him.

_What could possibly take Sokka's mind off of food?_ She was dumbfounded. Her answer was sleep, but if he were snoozing, he would have stayed with Appa. She didn't need an answer to her mental question, however, for in the distance, she heard his voice. As she approached the table he was sitting at, she understood that he wasn't eating, but rather playing a game of Omashu Hold 'Em at an outside pavilion. It was only when Sokka finished a round of betting she interrupted him.

"Snozzles, what are you up to? The meat shouldn't take this long to get," she said pretending not to have known that he had spent his entire time at the poker table.

Sokka jumped when he heard her voice, and Toph could feel the strong vibrations coming fro his chair upon landing again. He decided that the only way to explain to Toph his decision to gamble would be to present the bright side. "Hey, Toph, remember how I said I would be bringing back ten pounds of boarcupine and cow-hippo meat each for out trip?"

"Yeah. I remember." Toph replied.

"Well, what if I brought twenty or even thirty pounds? And a present for Aang?"

"Thirty pounds and a present? That's way too much. Don't forget Aang is a vegetarian. Most of the meat will spoil before we even get a chance to eat. And besides, we don't have enough money for all of those goods."

"That's what you think."

"Wait. Did you manage to earn money for us?"

"Nope, but I'm on my way. Watch me as I score money, big time." Upon hearing this, Toph chuckled. She was going to enjoy Sokka's getting run over by the other players. He threw two silver pieces on the table. "I call you, and raise you by one, Hooky." Hooky was a buff Earth Kingdom vigilante who had lost his hand in a battle with Fire Nation soldiers. In fact, many of the players were veterans retired from the war. He threw a piece of silver into the pile in the middle.

"Show hands!" Sokka screamed in excitement as he flipped his two tablets over. "I have a five-in-a-row."

"It's called a straight, when you have five consecutive numbers," Toph said.

Hooky flipped his cards. Sokka beamed when he saw Hooky's hands. "Haha, I win."

The man with the hook shook his head. "Look closer, boy."

Sokka looked, but the only pattern he could see was that with Hooky's hand and the river was a five card set with all of the same suits. "You have an all-of-the-same element? Is that what it is?"

"It's called a flush when you have five cards of the same suit. It's ranked higher than a straight." Sokka began pulling his hair.

"You have to be kidding me. I have a straight. A _freaking_ straight and I still lost?"

"You should've seen it coming." She reached over to the hooked man's two tablets and felt the swirl-carved shapes. "See. He had two Air Elementals. A king and a five. With that king, he was likely sure that if you had a flush, his flush was higher than yours."

"He was?"

"Sure, because he had two of the Air Elementals. I'm betting that there are only three in the river." She pulled Sokka from the table.

"That's right, how'd you know that? You guys were betting high, and he likely knew that the reason you were was because you had a straight. However, he had a pretty solid and high flush. Next time, pay closer attention to all of the possibilities."

Sokka couldn't believe his hearing all of this card-game nomenclature come from a blind girl. "How do you know all of this… I mean, you're blind. You don't play cards do you?"

"Of course I do," Toph said, throwing the Air Elemental tablets back onto the table. "I played all sorts back at my city. Sometimes it gets boring when there's no Earth Rumble. That's where I learned to play Elemental Poker with some of the competitors off season."

She turned to Sokka and spoke.

"I won't tell Twinkletoes, or Sugar Queen for that matter, what's happening. He'd probably would just like to join while the other would tear us apart. What I need, to know, however, is if you can handle this. Can you get all of our money back?"

Sokka felt embarrassed, that he, an inventor and the navigator of the group, was being lectured by a little girl on a card game. "Of course I can handle this by myself," he said defensively. "I just need to learn, and I'm sure that with that tip of yours, I'll be undefeatable." He sat back at the table. "How about another round, guys?" The men all nodded and the dealer began mixing the tablets using earthbending. After he distributed the tablets, Sokka bit his lips, trying to conceal his excitement. He turned to the girl who stood behind him and whispered, "A pair of aces, Toph. A pair of aces!"

"Make sure you make good use of those cards then." Toph said. She in a mockingly tone. She had no faith in Sokka at all.

The game continued, and the possibility of a straight appeared. A man wearing a metal helmet over his head, presumably a veteran Earth Kingdom soldier, had slowly forced everyone out of the game by continuously raising the stakes. It was only Sokka who finally remained, and the fact that he knew he had a pair of pocket kings that kept him to stay in. Suddenly, however, the Earthbender threw in a bag of silver.

"Thirty pieces, count them. I raise you thirty pieces."

"Thirty pieces?" Sokka was agape. Though he had enough silver pieces to match the raise (but barely), he was still shocked by the huge increase.

Toph grabbed Sokka's arm. "Snoozles, stay strong! He—" Before she could finish, Sokka had already folded from the game.

"What are you doing?" Toph asked.

He curtly replied, "I'm protecting our money. We're running low you know, and if I had lost it in a game like that, who would have known what would have happened."

She slapped her head, and pulled Sokka away from the table. "You fool! You wouldn't have lost. He had nothing. Nada. Zip!"

"But there was a possibility of a straight…" Sokka said. He had taken Toph's previous tip so well, so he didn't understand why she was scolding him again.

"That's what you would think, but he didn't have it."

"But he could've." Sokka insisted. He was not going to be embarrassed by Toph again.

"Yes, he could've, but did he?"

He turned and saw that the dealer already took back all of the tablets. "We'll never know."

"Yes, we do. Just think back to the Metal Brain's strategy. He was raising everyone by ten silver pieces consistently early in the game. Even when there was no possibility of a straight."

"Which means that he likely had a high pair. Pocket aces, perhaps."

"Yes, but the thing is that you have that high pair, which means that he likely doesn't. He was bluffing! He had nothing and managed to win around twenty something of our silver pieces!"

Toph was exactly right. He couldn't believe it. His stupidity was costing him, Toph, and Aang all of there money. Toph finally decided that Sokka had no hopes of winning and grabbed him. "Let's go find Twinkletoes before you lose the rest of his money."

"But-but…" Sokka turned to see the pile of silver on the poker table. The other guys had started another game. "We've lost so much money… We can't just quit now!"

"We won't quit so you can lose all of them, Snoozles?" Toph poked Sokka in the chest. "Just a small reminder, but we happen to need money for this journey. Please think before you do anything."

Sokka bowed his head dejectedly. "I knew we never should've stopped at this town."

Toph knew that he wanted to play more, and it was time for her to teach him. "All right. Tell you what: I'll teach you the tricks to this game, all right? Time for a crash course in the art of Omashu Hold 'Em." She led him further from a table and they stood together underneath a tree. "All right Sokka. The game of Omashu Hold 'Em is filled with many different personalities and tricks, and you must be wary." Sokka nodded and repeated the important parts of Toph's lecture.

"I must be careful and attentive," he said.

"Good." Toph said. "Now the next tip I'm going to give is going to be the most important one. We've been through a lot, right, Snoozles?" Sokka did not know where Toph was heading with this talk, but gave a weak nod anyway.

"We've faced many enemies and fought many battles, and that's what I need to tell you. Imagine the game of Omashu Hold 'Em as a battle. You're the general of your own army, and your goal is to vanquish every single one of your opponents."

"So, should I use my tablets as weapons? Or challenge the players to a duel?" Sokka asked. Obviously, he still had not gotten what Toph had said, and so, she elaborated.

"No, I want you to spot the personalities of your opponents and counter. Are they ferocious like the firebenders and try to force you out of the game through high raises or bluffing? Are they stubborn like an earthbender and dare to challenge bluffs? Or are they as crafty and fast like an airbender, quick to fold when under pressure?"

For Sokka, Toph finally began to make sense. He should have expected that the young, sassy, and rebellious Toph would reference fighting for tips on a card game.

"Look at their faces, their body language, their expressions. Even if you can't find their tells, they'll give you hints of their personalities."

"So if one of them is constantly bluffing, like a firebender, I should remain adamant, like an earthbender, and counter his plan, right?"

"Exactly! I think you're finally beginning to understand the dynamics of this game."

Sokka's face lit up. "Thanks, Toph, you've been a great help. I didn't know that…even in times without fighting, I'd be needing your help. You're a smart kid, you know?"

Toph blushed and pushed Sokka. "Now go out there and earn us retake all of our money. In fact, earn more!"

Sokka smiled and ran to the table.

* * *

It didn't take long, however, for Sokka to return with the grin wiped clean off his face. "I can't believe it… I lost it all." His bag of money was entirely empty. "I was so sure that I had gotten the upper hand for awhile… but then I lost it all again…"

Sokka apparently hadn't realized that players might change their style midway. She punched him in the arms. "If I weren't the greatest earthbender in the world right now and if I weren't able to fix this, I'd swear I'd kill you right now." Sokka laughed sheepishly at his foolish mistake. He knew that Toph wouldn't really kill him. He knew that Toph was going to help him plan a scam to win all the money back.

"All right, Sokka. I still have these two silver pieces that I was going to use to buy Twinkletoes and me a drink. However, it seems that you need it more than I do." She opened Sokka's hand and placed the two pieces there. She wanted him to accumulate money with those two pieces. "Because if you don't use them to get our money back…" She stomped her foot into the ground, sending out a pillar to catapult a rock and catching the stone. She tightened her grip on it and pulverized it into pieces. She blew it at his direction. "I swear that you are going to bite the dust."

Sokka gulped. "So, what's the plan?"

"Thinking scam already? You know me too well. The plan is that I'll sense the hearts of each of the players. If they're lying or unconfident of their hand or a raise, I'll give you a squeeze."

"That's it? Just squeezing? No awesome earthbending maneuvers? What about the good old scams at the Fire Nation islands?"

"Well, with the war over, we can't tarnish the Avatar's image anymore. And besides, it's your mistake, and you are going to fix it. We'll, you are going to fix it _mostly_."

"Fine." But then, a thought hit him. "Wait a second. Why didn't you help me earlier? You know the rules fairly well, you could read hearts…"

"Because I believed in you Sokka," Toph said. She hugged him. "I was so amazed by your inventions back at the invasion. You are one of the smartest people I've met, and I thought you could handle it."

Sokka was touched. He had never seen the girl embrace someone before. "Toph…" However, his words were interrupted with a loud burst of laughter.

"Just kidding!" She let go of him and was now in a laughing fit. "I knew you were going to screw this up. I just wanted to see how badly."

Sokka angrily crossed his arms. He was the butt of her joke again. Toph was definitely smart—not book smart—but street smart. And devilishly cunning smart, too. Toph had stopped laughing and blushed. She finally got to hold Sokka's hands for a long duration of time. With a legitimate reason, too.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Backstage, Aang is sitting with Mei, discussing life at the carnival. The entire backstage is fenced off, and everyone else has left. Aang and Mei are alone. Mei has been talking about her life as a performer for some time already.  
_

"Our ringleader, Zui, is an alcoholic. He is one mean, mean drunk. Every time after we practice, he'd come hammered, looking to beat someone hard. I had to provoke him in order to make sure that he wouldn't go for the children or the other girls…"

"He'd used to place a juggling bat, a hippo-bull's chain, and the moose-lion tamer's flame whip right next to me and told me to choose one." She raised the back of her shirt up and behind showed numerous burned scars. "I chose the flame whip."

"What?" Aang was in shock. It never struck to him that the beautiful girl sitting right next to him could be so torn up on the inside. It would have been even creepier if she were a masochist. "Why the burning whip?"

Mei sat there silent for awhile. "Cause screw him. That's why." She laughed but Aang was still solemn and scared. She saw his look of concern and stopped. "Those beatings were the only thing we could ever agree on. Why not let him have some fun during that special moment of agreement?"

"You wanted to get beaten up? Why didn't you tell him to stop? Report it to the officials. Tell him—"

"Tell him what? That, as a world famous Earth Kingdom ringleader, should back off? And then what? Who'd hire ex-Fire Nation soldiers? Nobody likes us and ever since the war ended, they've been openly expressed. You should have seen our performance a few days ago. We were drenched in rotten tomatoes. In fact, if you would believe me, we used to have seven girls performing. Two were caught without identity scrolls while traveling, and who knows what happened to them." She laughed but then stopped with her next words. "And the children here. Without the carnival, they have nowhere to stay. No one wants us, no one supports us, and no one provides for us. Except for this carnival. This is our only life."

Aang was astonished with the treatment of the Fire Nation from the other nations after the war. He solved one problem, and another one sprung up. He gave the dying Earth Kingdom an edge, and now it seemed that the Fire Nation was in trouble.

Mei turned to face away from Aang. "I know that silence. You probably think I'm a miserable person and that I'm all alone in this world." She stared at the moon in the sky. "But I'm not. Somewhere, right now, my parents are looking at that same moon, wondering when their daughter is going to come back."

"Aren't you sad that you can't return home? I mean, the war is over. Heck, you guys are even making a celebration of it! Why don't you guys just run and leave." He didn't want Mei or any newfound suffering to be his fault. He worked so hard to save the world. He didn't want Mei to be his problem. He knew, though, that it wasn't that simple.

"Sad?" Mei replied, "Of course I am. Words probably can't even express the regret I feel right now. I ran away from my parents to join the war. They don't know where I am even if I'm alive or not, and I can't even attain a ticket to head home and tell them I'm still here." She began tearing up. She wiped her eyes, and amazingly, despite all of hardships she's been through, she still smiled at Aang. "But I still believe in what I do, and though I might never get to see them, I can feel a connection."

"A connection?" He thought about his separation with Katara. "How can you feel such a connection?"

She laughed at Aang's curiosity. After all, he was the Avatar, and he had connections to the spirits. "I don't know if it's real, but I believe in it. It's just that I bet they'd be proud of what I'm doing, my protection of all of the stranded Fire Nation performers and children no matter how small my impact is on the world. It is our common ideals and beliefs that allow me to feel this special emotional bond between us, and that's what is driving me to continue on."

And though listening to Mei made Aang feel all depressed on his outlook on the world and its state, hearing her rants on faith gave him newfound hope. He thought about Mei's words and then thought about Katara. Perhaps they would be able to maintain a special bond, too.

_Fades to black._

* * *

Note: The man at the beginning of Act 1 will finally be revealed. Please stay tuned in for act 3. Once again, thanks, and please read and review.


	6. The Festival, Act 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Notes: Good news, guys. This is the end to second chapter and there is no poker jargon. There's a lot of bonding in this act, which I think is nice. I also tried to demonstrate Aang's maturity more in this chapter.

I greatly enjoyed writing this act/chapter, so I hope you'll sacrifice some time to read it!

**Important: Also, if some things have been too hard to follow, I've decided to include a summary which gives a synopsis of every important details that happens. You can check it out in my profile. It'll contain many summaries (even some of the next few chapters), so watch out to avoid spoilers.**

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review!

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 2:**

**The Festival**

...

"I'm begging that you all to forgive the Fire Nation. I'm begging you all to hope that there can be reform. Because if you don't, our world will deteriorate and the dark days of the past will repeat itself."

-Aang to the Earth Kingdom audience

...

Act 3:

_Sokka and Toph are at the outdoor poker table. They have prepared to scam all of the other players, who were mostly retired Earthbending soldiers._

Sokka was holding Toph's hand as he through a few silver pieces into the pile. Though he felt the coldness of the metal leave his left hand, he also felt the warmth from Toph's hand with every squeeze. It was so strange, for despite Toph's aloofness in her demeanor, she was thoroughly involved in this game, constantly giving him pep talks and strategy. Though she had made fun of him, he felt almost as if she genuinely cared for him and wanted to him to improve. She could have handled the entire poker game by herself, but instead decided to play it with him. _That independent and rebellious runaway actually believes I can do this._ Though the thoughts of Toph's opening up to him flooded his mind, he was still able to focus on the game. After some careful playing and informative squeezes, he and Toph emerged victorious, almost winning every single game.

They left the table and walked underneath a nearby tree. "All right. It's time to count the money that we've earned. I need a piece of paper, Toph." He searched through his clothes, patting each of his pockets.

"Don't look at me, Snoozles." Do you think I'd be carrying those things with me? Heck, I don't even use handkerchiefs for my nose."

She was right. Sokka decided to pull out the lotus constellation scroll from his pocket and grabbed a piece of charcoal from his bag. He walked to a nearby table, flipped the scroll over (so he wouldn't mess up the constellation, and began writing. "All right, Toph. Let's begin. Number of silver pieces?" He dumped all of the silver pieces onto the ground. Toph slammed her feet onto the floor. The pieces went flying into the air, and when they landed, Toph felt for distinct and loud vibrations.

"Three-hundred and eleven pieces." She said. Sokka nodded and scribbled onto the back of the scroll. "How about gold pieces?"

Toph stomped the floor again. Now the gold pieces were flying. "Seventy-eight gold pieces."

Sokka nodded again and continued scribbling. "All right, so we just won around three hundred silver pieces, eighty gold pieces…"

"And the Metal Brain's helmet and Hooky's silver…er hook." Toph interrupted. She felt a bit awkward holding a hook that was recently pulled out from a man's wrist. She threw the helmet and hook into the pile.

"Not bad. We make a really good team." Sokka ran to the bags, picked up the pile of pieces, and placed them back into the bags. "By the way," he said. "Thanks, Toph." He stretched his arms out and reached across her shoulder, squeezing her in a hug. "Now we can get Aang an awesome birthday present." He picked up the bag and headed for the table on which he wrote. As he was about to roll up the Lotus Scroll, someone slammed a knife into the table.

Sokka leaped in shock. He stared into the face of a man who had nearly killed him. "What the heck was that?" Toph got herself into position and shot a stone at the man. The man pulled up his knife, spun, and sliced the boulder into two with the knife. He was an earthbender, apparently. "I'm not here to fight," he said. "The name's Wang the Fourth. I'm a collector of ancient items. That scroll of yours." He looked at the back of the lotus constellation and saw a dragon emblem next to all of the numbers Sokka had scribbled. "I believe it to be an important parchment. I want it."

"Too bad," Sokka said as he swiped it off the table. He turned to stare at the old piece of paper Zuko had given to their team. He did not know why anyone would want the scroll. Though he could make a duplicate, he did not want to risk giving anyone information on the Avatar. "It's _our_ old and stinky paper. If you want some, go to a bathroom or find your own."

Wang shook his head. He cringed and was angry by the fact that Sokka didn't appreciate the paper's importance. "I don't want any paper. As a collector, I want this scroll."

Sokka was amazed. _Why would a man like him want this scroll specifically? _The answer was obviously. He likely knows some information about Avatar Liang-Shek. The man spoke again. "How much do you want?"

Sokka thought for awhile. "How do you even know it's valuable?"

"Because of the emblem," the man replied, pointing at the dragon symbol on the back of the scroll. It's a very special emblem. It has connections to one of the greatest humans in the world."

"Well, it's not for sale." Sokka said as he was about to leave.

_The man definitely knows about Avatar Liang-Shek. Perhaps he has information on Liang-Shek that he's hiding,_ Toph thought.

"How about this... Care for a gamble? I saw that you're pretty good." He gestured to a poker table and threw a bag of silver pieces on the table they were standing next to.

Sokka hesitated to answer, but Toph immediately replied, "Fine, he'll take you on!" Sokka's jaw dropped as he pulled Toph away from the man.

"What are you doing?" He asked her incredulously.

"This guy knows about what we're doing, Snoozles." She whispered into his ear. He has information on Avatar Almighty. The only way we can extract it from him is if we make a bet. And besides. You have me…you can't possibly lose!" Toph was right. Sokka took a breather and nodded.

"We'll play in that house over there." Wang pointed at a house behind the stalls. As they approached the door, the man extended his arms. "The girl stays out. We play alone."

"What?" Both Sokka and Toph shouted. If Toph didn't come, Sokka was definitely going to lose.

"But she's blind!" Sokka argued. "She couldn't possibly cheat…let alone play!"

He took a lamp next to the door. "Doesn't matter. This match only concerns you and me."

Sokka was gasping straws now. "But—but… She's my girlfriend! We do everything together!"

_Did Snoozles just call me,.. his girlfriend?_ Toph made a slight smile and almost swooned. She felt so awkward, happy, and…nice. "Don't worry Snoozles. You can do this… Remember everything I told you, all right?" She then hugged him.

"You're not kidding this time, are you?" Sokka asked. By the tightness of her hug, he doubted it. Toph shook her head. He placed his hand on her head and Sokka smiled. "All right. Let's win us some information!" There was no backing down now.

* * *

_Scene switches_

"You have quite a girl, there," Wang said as he hung the lamp he grabbed from the door behind him. It only illuminated the room partially, but it was bright enough to light the table.

Sokka laughed and scratched his head sheepishly. "Haha. Yeah… she's my girlfriend." He couldn't believe he called Toph that! Were his instincts telling him something?

The man took out a set of tablets and showed Sokka the cards. "We'll play a round of Omashu Hold 'Em." He shuffled with his Earthbending and began dealing. "So, what's up with you? Why are you here at this festival? Is this a rest stop for one of your quests?"

_Rest stop? Quest?_ How did this man know there every move? Perhaps he was a member of the Dai Li. He must have spied on them in Ba Sing Se, and now followed them to get the map. "We're just here for a break? You know…to celebrate the end of the war."

Wang let out a small laugh. "I know very well that you have ulterior motives."

"That's a nice imagination you have. Why are _you_ here?" Sokka dodged the mysterious man's answer and fired his own question.

"I'm not here for much," he said. "Just on a search for fascinating trinkets, like yours to add to my collection."

"You know what will be really interesting? Rather than money, why don't you offer a special item two?" Sokka spotted the chain of the man's watch hanging out of the shirt pocket. "Like that watch for example."

He looked into his chest pocket and smiled. At first, Sokka thought that Wang would refuse his bet. But he didn't. "Sure, no problem." During the game, he threw the watch into the middle and Sokka placed the scroll. Sokka saw that on the lid of the watch there was the insignia of a dragon—exactly the same insignia as the one on the back of their Lotus scroll. _He definitely isn't a collector. Nor a Dai Li agent. He's a man on a hunt for the same thing they were after: Avatar Liang-Shek.._

* * *

_Scene switches_

Toph was standing outside the house, trying to feel what was going on inside. Though she placed her hand on the ground, she couldn't see Sokka nor the man, for the house had a wooden porch and base. Her only option would be to listen. She placed her hand on the wall. She couldn't feel anything either. Next, she placed her ear. The voices were muffled and soft. Then, she remembered the flower Aang had given him. She took it out of her pocket and placed one end of the flower against her ear and the petals against the wall and listened.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Sokka screamed excitedly in his victory. He couldn't believe it. He called Wang's bluff and won the game. He not only kept the scroll, but also won the clock. He was about to grab both items from the table, but Wang placed his hands on Sokka's, preventing him from lifting. "Not so fast," he said. Sokka was afraid that Wang was about to do some crazy earthbending and hurt him. Wang, however, only reached into his robes and pulled out an earth canister. "Double or nothing." That too, had a dragon insignia on it.

Sokka, with newfound confidence in his skills agreed. Besides, the canister was likely valuable also. "All right. Double or nothing." He let go of the clock.

Wang swiped away the tablets and took out a new deck. "Let's begin." The difference between this deck and the one they had previously used was that the tablet color was ligther.

"Wow. This earth." Sokka said as he felt the cards. "It's so soft."

* * *

Toph listened in disbelief. _That cheater! That freaking cheater! Upon realizing that Sokka beat him, he's relying on soft earth cards to win!_ By doing so, he could earthbend the images on the cards to his liking, allowing him to easily create a winning hand.

Knowing that Sokka's loss was inevitable, she picked up the helmet and began metal bending. She began twisting the metal around and created a rectangular plate. She flattened it out and began to carve a few characters into it. All that was missing now was the insignia. _All right Toph. Now what does that dragon look like?_

She began pressing in the metal with her fingers, carving the shape of what she thought was a dragon. She burst through the door. A dejected and sorrowful Sokka looked at her. He had already lost the bet. "Triple or nothing!" She shouted.

"Whe lost it all!" Sokka exclaimed. "There's nothing we can offer."

"Actually, we do have something else!" She took out the metal plate she metal-bended. "There is no way you can read the scroll without this…er…decoder."

"Fascinating…" Wang said as he stroked his mustache. He had not read about a decoder in any of his books. He doubted its authenticity. "But I'm afraid that I'm not very interested. I have what I want." He held the scroll and canister in his hands and prepared to leave the festival.

"Why don't you take a look at it, however?" Toph asked, pleadingly.

Wang nodded, picked up the metal plate and took a look at it. He turned around to face the lamp he had hung on the back of the wall. "I've been to many places, and I know of many things." He continued appraising the metal. "You're a cunning little girl. But I'll always be one step ahead. I know you, you're the Blind Bandit. You helped this worthless water tribe boy cheat his way through all the games. And to think that I'd actually let you play alongside him."

_I'm a lot more cunning what you think,_ Toph thought. She gently moved her feet back, earthbending the canister to her. She then felt the canister, and remade a duplicate and slid it back onto the table. She hid the original canister by earthbending it into the wall.

Wang finally spotted the error in the plate. "This metallic plate. There's no dragon insignia on it. It's worthless to me." He turned around to face Toph. "You should've known whom your dealing with, little girl."

Toph tried to contain her laughter over her victory. With a forced tone, she said, "Oh, you're right. You are so brilliant."

Wang laughed and picked up his items. "Let it be known today, that you were defeated by the great Chin the Fourth." He finally revealed his true name and walked out the room.

When left, Sokka ran to Toph. "That was brilliant! How'd you plan everything. I mean, how'd you know everything that was going on? I have my sources," Toph said. She felt the flower inside her pockets. "The only downside is that our map's gone."

"Pfft." Sokka replied. "It wasn't that important. Heck, I even used it as an accounting paper. What matters is that we know where the locations are." Toph summoned the canister from the ground.

Sokka pat Toph on the back. "Well, we still have most of the money. Let's go see if we can get Aang a present."

Toph was touched by the fact that Sokka was able to win without cheating, unlike that Chin person. She didn't tell Sokka that, however, for she would appear to be too soft. Rather, she decided to keep it a secret.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Ringleader Zui walks backstage telling Mei to get ready for the next show. By then, Aang had already put back on his hat. _

"Mei Ling. It's time for your next show." He gestured for her to come with him. Apparently he was sober now. He brought her onto the stage, and the entire audience cheered. "Now, people. The main event you've all been waiting for!" Ringleader Zui said. Confetti flew everywhere.

Mei Ling stood there and bit her lips. She knew what was coming up. The Ringleader took a deep breath and punched her right in the chest. The audience all cheered and hurrahed. "You like that, Fire Nation scum? Huh? Now that Avatar Aang has saved the world, you're not so tough, huh?" Aang's jaw dropped in horror watching Mei get beaten up. After a few more punches, he took out a whip out. "How about giving this cretin a dose of her own medicine?" He asked the crowd. They unanimously hollered a loud "yes!" He lit the whip on fire and cracked it against the back of Mei's chest. Even Aang grimaced upon seeing these actions. Not just because of their brutality, but also because of the attitude that the entire Earth Kingdom audience had. He was going to cut in, but he was afraid he would tarnish his image and that by supporting Fire Nation and would stir even more tension between the two nations. Then the ringleader took off his shirt, revealing a somewhat muscular body. "Here's to the Avatar!" He swung his fists and legs and began earthbending fairly large rocks at poor Mei.

Aang finally couldn't stand it. He ran up on stage and deflected the rocks with earthbending.

"What are you doing?" The ringleader asked enraged.

"I'm doing what is right. I'm protecting this lady and this world."

The ringleader laughed, and the audience followed suit. "And what makes you think that it's your duty to protect this world?"

Aang hesitated for a moment, but finally decided that there was no other option. No one would believe him unless he had proof. He ripped off his hat, revealing his bald head and blue arrow tattoo. "Because I am the Avatar!"

The entire audience gasped. They felt humbled and bowed down. The ringleader, though embarrassed, didn't bow. Instead, he tried to cover up his humiliation by exposing Aang as a fraud. "What are you guys doing? An arrow tattoo? Is that all you need now in order to believe that he's the Avatar?"

"I'll show you for disrupting my show. He began to lift huge boulders and shove them in Aang's direction."

Aang deflected them with airbending, giving final proof that he was indeed the Avatar. The ringleader finally bowed too.

"I want you to stop what you are doing, Ringleader Zui."

"Forgive me, Avatar." Though shocked by what he was hearing, Zui maintained his composure and addressed Aang in the highest terms. "But she's Fire Nation. They nearly brought the destruction of the world! They destroyed the balance and harmony of the four nations until you arrived and restored it."

"And now, that balance that I worked so hard to achieve is being disrupted again." Aang responded. "Unless we learn to make peace and forgive their past ways, we'll never achieve this balance that we all seek." He was addressing everyone, even the audience. "Think about what your doing. You're having fun watching a man beat up a girl! This girl," He pointed at Mei. "is one of the sweetest, strongest, and most caring girls I've ever met. She is not Fire Nation. She's the hope for the Fire Nation. And hope for us that they can all strive to become better people like her! And you are destroying this hope. If you all dislike the Fire Nation so much, why don't you act more honorable rather than deigning yourselves to behave like them?"

Aang panted as he gave his tirade. All of the people stared at the Avatar. They couldn't believe that he was supporting a Fire Nation girl.

"He's a traitor!" One shouted. "He'd rather help a Fire Nation girl than the entire Earth Kingdom!"

The others hollered in agreement, but Aang protested. "I care for all four nations. That's why I'm doing this!"

While Aang was arguing with the audience, Ringleader Zui got up and decided to take advantage of the crowd's distracting Aang. He summoned a huge boulder and readied himself to smash Aang with it. Before it hit him, thought, Mei got between Aang and the boulder. She sprayed a huge flame and tried to deflect it. However, she couldn't stop it and was knocked over. The audience gasped and Aang turned and deflected it with his air blast. Upon seeing Mei on the ground unconscious, Aang was furious. He turned to the people once again. "Is this how you treat the Avatar, especially on his birthday? By chunking rocks at him? One person doesn't decide or reflect a nation. If it did," he pointed to the ringleader who almost had him killed, "then the Earth Kingdom is out there to get me." He pointed to Mei now, "And the Fire Nation is my savior." He sighed. "I'm begging that you all to forgive the Fire Nation. I'm begging you all to hope that there can be reform. Because if you don't, our world will deteriorate and the dark days of the past will repeat itself."

He ran to check up on Mei, who opened her eyes. Luckily, her spray of flame had slowed the boulder enough to prevent any serious injury. She smiled at Aang, who smiled back. The audience applauded at Aang's words and Mei's actions. They all began cheering, "Avatar Aang, Avatar Aang!" and listened to the Avatar's words. Even the non-believers who believed him to be a traitor only a few minutes ago.

Aang lifted Mei up and turned to Ringleader Zui. "I want you to free all of your performers. Set them free."

Zui was now cowering. He suspected that he was in huge trouble for attacking the Avatar, but Aang did not fight. "But then how will I earn all my money?"

"Money? That's all you care about. Unlike the Fire Nation girls, who cared about the people."

"I don't care about people?" The ringleader gained a little confidence and laughed weakly. "Let me tell you, I care about the people. Without me, those Fire Nation girls and young children won't have anywhere to go to!"

Then, Sokka and Toph had found Aang. They ran onto stage with their bags of money. "Hey Aang, Look at all of the money we got!" He lifted a bag full of silver. "We can get you an amazing birthday present!"

Aang turned to Sokka. "Actually, you came just in time for my present." He yanked the bag and handed it to the ringleader. "Have your money." He took the other bag and handed it to Mei. Both Sokka and Toph stood aghast that he through away all of the money they worked so hard to earn.

"Here, take this Mei. Take all your friends and travel to Ba Sing Se. You can find many post offices and hawk delivery systems there. Tell your family and your friends' families that you are all fine."

"Avatar… I don't know what to say." Mei blushed. "Except thank you so much."

Aang blushed too upon seeing the beautiful girl's cheeks turn red. "No, Mei." Aang shook his head. "Thank you for giving me the confidence to do what's right." Aang continued, with a straight tone. "And if you need help in the city, just seek a man name Iroh at the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. Tell him you're a friend of the Avatar. He'll be glad to help you."

"But how will he know we're friends?" Mei asked.

Aang knew that the question was meaningless. After all, Uncle Iroh would help anyone. But he decided to answer it anyway. He handed her the snow globe he had made for Katara. "Show him this." Aang said.

Mei took it, and read the name "Katara" on the base of the globe. "This Katara girl," she said. "I bet she'd be really proud of you, Avatar." Aang smiled upon hearing her say this. She leaned in to kiss Aang on the cheeks, sending the entire audience wild. "Once again, thank you so much, Avatar Aang."

"I have one final request for you."

"Ask away, all mighty Avatar," Mei teased.

"Have us disappear."

Mei nodded, perfectly understanding the Avatar's words. She and Aang began to perform the Disappearing Dragon, firebending a huge sphere of flame around themselves (including Toph and Sokka) and when the sphere had contracted they had managed to vanish.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Aang, Sokka, and Toph, have left the festival and taken off on Appa._

As Appa flew across the sky, which was beginning to dawn, Aang, Sokka, and Toph could still hear the people of the festival cheering, "Avatar Aang, Avatar Aang!"

"You must have been pretty popular with the people there, especially with that girl" Sokka remarked. He wasn't mad that Aang had given away his identity because they still managed to escape easily. He was a bit mad, though, that Aang had given away most of their money. Luckily, though, they now had a canister, which was likely had contents important for their journey. His visit to the festival wasn't a complete loss.

Toph nudged Aang in the shoulder. "I hope that our visit to the festival finally cheered you up, Twinkle Toes." Aang looked up at the setting moon as he heard Toph's words. It did cheer him up, for now, he no longer viewed his separation from Katara with sadness. He knew that as long he believed in her and himself and did what was right, they would maintain a special bond. A firebending girl at the festival taught him that.

_Fades to white._

* * *

Note: I was greatly pleased with how this chapter turned out. Yes, though I know it was messy like the rest and perhaps hard to follow, I thought that the ending was pretty sweet. At least I think so. Originally I intended for this episode to be a meaningless filler, but I turned out to be quite an important chapter for everyone. Yay!

What about the canister with a dragon emblem on it? It'll play a role in the later chapters.

What about this Wang/Chin the Fourth man? As for Chin the Fourth, he'll be playing a major role in the next few or later chapters, so stay tuned to find out what he has in store for Aang's team!

What about Zuko and Katara? What have they been up to the entire time? I'm going to be alternating between Aang's team and Zuko's team. You'll see how they're doing in the next episode.

The next Episode is titled, "The Spirit Thief," in which Zuko and Katara visit the Northern Water Tribe. However, Katara is framed for a crime and is about to get executed. It is up to Zuko and the Blue Spirit to prove her innocence or rescue her. Continue to find out what happens.

By the way, I will be updating a lot less now because summer is almost over.

Finally, once again, thank you for reading and please review! Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	7. The Spirit Thief, Act 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Here is the third episode, and it follows Katara's and Zuko's journey to the Northern Water Tribe. Will there be Zutara action? Who knows. There's only one thing for sure: the two get into a lot of trouble, and it is up to the new Fire Lord, somewhat of a pariah to the tribe, to save them both...

I hope you enjoy reading and please review!

* * *

Voiceover:

Katara:

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air.  
Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.  
Only the Avatar, master of all Four Elements, could stop them. After a hundred years have passed, my brother and I found a new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang, who returned to end the Fire Nation's conquest and return peace to the nations._

_But now, we face a new threat...the balance and harmony we sought so hard to restore is on the brink of ruin unless Aang restores airbending to the world. And although his elemental bending is great and his spirit is strong, he has a lot to learn before he can fulfill his duty. But I believe... Aang can save the world._

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 3:**

**The Spirit Thief**

...

"Of course they'll welcome you. You helped save the world, and besides, you're a new Fire Lord."

"Yes, but I'm the son of one of the greatest villains in the world."

Katara and Zuko, on the return to the Northern Water Tribe capital

...

**The clock's countdown: 26 Days left.**

_"I never thought that a member from our sister tribe could do such a treasonous act!" Chief Arnook bellowed angrily. He held a torch that lit the night sky. "Don't think that your saving the North Pole before will give you a lighter treatment," he said. "You desecrated our Spirit Oasis, home of the two most important spirits of the Water Tribe and my daughter. You stole our spiritual water. What do you have to say?" _

_Katara's ankles and wrists were encased in ice as she saw the fire come out from the Chief. She was bound to a wall with ice encasing her wrists and ankles. Because she couldn't move any of her limbs, she couldn't waterbend. Even if she could, she was a dead woman, for there were too many Northern Water Tribe members around her that she couldn't handle all of them. All she could quietly say was, "I didn't do it."_

"_I should have known you're a liar too," Arnook said, turning his head sadly. "One of the most important virtues of a Water Tribe member is integrity. Not only have you violated our trust, but you have violated our code."_

"_But I'm not lying," Katara said weakly. She would have screamed, but she knew how hopeless the situation was._

"_How can you not be lying? After all, you were the only one to enter and leave the Spirit Oasis. Furthermore, not only do you have no alibi, we have witnesses. Please, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe," he said. "Tell us why you desecrated our oasis."_

_Katara wanted to tell him once again that she wasn't the one responsible, but she knew it would be no use._

_Arnook lowered his head and shook it sadly. "Fine, if you have nothing else to say…" He turned to the crowd. "For your acts of treason and dishonor, I'm afraid we will have to execute you!" The crowd gasped, for many of them doubted that Katara would do such a villainous act._

_Katara was shocked by the decision. She knew now that there was only one person who could help her. She scanned the crowd of people. All she could see were an endless crowd of Northern Water Tribe denizens garbed in their huge fur coats holding weapons and torches. Where was Zuko right now when she needed a friend the most?_

* * *

_Scene switches_

Act 1:

**The Clock's Countdown: 27 Days left.**

_One day earlier…_

Zuko and Katara were traveling in a Fire Nation airship, heading for the Northern Water Tribe capital. Katara had never ridden in a Fire Nation vehicle before, let alone an airship, and she stared at all of the gas tanks and pumps inside. There were Fire Nation engineers and workers everywhere, constantly unrolling their scrolls and recording numbers. Some of the Firebenders at the back of the airship had just entered the engine chamber to take a break. They had been blasting fire in the opposite direction of the airship to propel it forward for most of the duration of the trip.

"This is amazing," Katara said in excitement as she looked out the window and saw the rising sun. "The Fire Nation truly has some of the most advanced technology ever!" She had been continually impressed by their war tanks, their huge drill, and most of all, their magnificent airships. "You'd think that the airbenders would be the ones to rule the skies, but the Fire Nation scientists are as resourceful as ever."

Zuko walked next to Katara and looked outside the window also. He stared at the huge ball of fire, the main source of energy for all firebenders. He turned and saw the awe in her face. "Yeah," he replied. Then he sheepishly added, "Too bad all of them were used for war."

"But I bet that with you at the helm, you can change all of that, can't you?" Katara said, smiling at him.

Her eyes and lips were so pretty when her face lit up that Zuko couldn't help but to smile himself. However, inside, he felt the pain he had kept inside for the entire duration of his chasing the Avatar began to twist again. The word "change" lingered in his mind. So much had been changing. Recently he had overcome his confusion and finally decided to work for the better of the world. Not only had he changed, but the entire world has. The Fire Nation had lost all of its control, and the Water Tribes and the rest of the world was gradually healing after numerous years of conflict.

And it was this huge change and years of conflict that bothered Zuko. He was nervous and didn't know how the Northern Water Tribe would react to the Fire Nation with him as the new Fire Lord.

"I'm so excited to visit the Northern Water Tribe! This is where I learned how to master waterbending!" Katara said. "And I'm glad that you're here to share the moments with me." After all, Katara didn't have much time to demonstrate her appreciation of Zuko's sacrifice during the final Agni Kai.

"Zuko lowered his head. Actually…Katara, I'm not so sure if it was a good decision to return…"

Katara caught drift of what Zuko meant. "Come on, Zuko. Of course they'll welcome you. You helped save the world, and besides, you're a new Fire Lord."

"Yes, but I'm the son of one of the greatest villains in the world." Zuko rebutted.

"But you have a waterbending friend with you. One who can vouch for your changed ways." Katara rebutted.

Zuko felt the pain inside him begin to relieve. If there was anything more valuable than achieving peace through ending the war, it would have to be attaining Katara's friendship. He had lacked such a close companionship with people his age ever since he was exiled and his sister went power-hungry. "So you'll be there for me always, right?" he asked.

"Whenever you need me." Katara replied, still smiling. However, before she could say anything else, she leaped for excitement. She could see little icebergs outside now. With every passing moment, they drew closer to their destination.

Zuko, however, felt apprehension rise again with each iceberg they flew past. This was it….They were finally going to arrive at the Northern Water Tribe.

After calming down, Katara noticed Zuko's tension. "Why don't we go to the upper deck? I think it's time for a healing session again."

* * *

As the healing went on in the private chambers, Zuko said to Katara hesitantly, "How about we dock right here on an island. We'll sail to the capital via a small boat." He didn't want to give the tribe the sense that the Fire Nation was after them again with a huge airship.

Katara thought that it would be a good idea to do so, and was glad that Zuko wasn't going to back out from the visit. He needed to accept his destiny, duty, and the fact that the world will need to work with him, the Fire Lord, sooner or later.

The airship landed on a huge iceberg near the coast of the Northern Water Tribe capital city. Zuko ordered the captain to take good care of the ship before he got into the boat with Katara. She waterbended the sea and began sailing toward the magnificent ice city.

* * *

Chief Arnook was at the bay as he saw a small ship approaching. Initially, he ordered the men to ready their defenses at the Fire Nation ship, but the fact that it was so small and carried only two passengers made him decide to change his mind. He was going to wait and see who would have the audacity to approach their home in a Fire Nation ship.

Katara waterbended the ship onto the dock and got out. Arnook, surprised at first, bowed at the Southern Water Tribe lady. "Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, it is an honor to have you back at the Northern Water Tribe."

Katara put her hands together and bowed back to return the greeting. "And it is an honor to be back, Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe."

The Chief continued. "We wish to thank the Avatar once again for saving our tribe and the world. Is he with you?"

Katara shook her head but smiled. "But I have another friend with me." She gestured toward the boat as Zuko stepped out.

Chief Arnook saw the scar and immediately recognized the man as the Fire Lord. He grimaced. "You brought the Fire Lord with you? He's an enemy to the Water Tribe—he tried to capture the Avatar!"

Katara was about to protest, but another Northern Water Tribe warrior interrupted.

"It doesn't matter whether he's the Fire Lord or not." A subordinate said. "As long as he's Fire Nation, he is prohibited from entering Water Tribe territory." He turned to the chief. "Remember, sir, what his nation did to our Moon Spirit and your daughter."

The Chief was greatly saddened about hearing and remembering his daughter's selfless sacrifice to save their tribe. Even though her disappearance transpired more than half a month ago, he still could not get over the loss, even if it was for the greater good. Just as he was about to deny Zuko entrance to the city, Katara interrupted.

"But it was a Fire Nationer along with your daughter who saved us when the Moon was out." She was referring to Zuko's uncle, Iroh.

"True," as Arnook recalled. "But that doesn't mean anything, for as my subordinate said, it was a Fire Nation admiral who caused the moon to die out in the first place."

"I was there at Fire Lord Zuko's coronation. He promised a world of peace and love. Don't worry, he won't even dare harm the Northern Water Tribe. I'm with him right now. Trust me."

Arnook wanted to complain, but any friend of the Avatar's was a friend of the Water Tribe. And any friend of a friend of the Avatar, whether Fire Nation or not, was also a friend of the Water Tribe. "Fine," he curtly said to Katara. "It would be rude to deny the Fire Lord entrance to the greatest Water Tribe city in the world."

Katara bowed once again to Arnook. Zuko walked up to the chief and bowed to. "Thank you chief." They both said. Arnook nodded as he called for a citizen to guide Katara and Zuko to their rooms.

_The capital looked a lot nicer now since it wasn't under siege._ Zuko thought. The ice buildings had all been repaired, and he was actually able to walk around and enjoy the city city's beauty rather than tunnel his way through the cold ice walls. After they placed their belongings in a spare water tribe guest room, Katara grabbed Zuko's arm. "Come on, Zuko, I have all sorts of places I need to show you. You need to see the waterbending training grounds, the healing academy…and most importantly, the Spirit Oasis!" Zuko could barely catch his breath as he was hurriedly tugged out the door.

As Katara and Zuko approached the training grounds where Master Pakku used to teach, they saw a huge group of young Northern Water Tribe children. "Hey guys! Katara's back!" One of them yelled. The others followed the kid as they ran and sat next to Katara. "Who's that?" Another one of them pointed at Zuko. "He looks ugly!" A third one said, pointing to the scar on Zuko's face.

"Children, you must speak with utmost respect to this man." He is the leader of the Fire Nation."

The children all gasped. "He's Fire Nation?" They all scooted back a few feet.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt any of you guys." Katara reassured them. "Have you guys seen Master Pakku?"

They shook their heads. One of them piped, "He's on a trip with his new wife around the world. He'll be back in a month, he said."

Another one spoke, getting up to his feet and readying a waterbending stance. "It's been kind of boring here without the Master's teaching us. Can you show us some of your awesome moves again, sister Katara?"

Katara nodded and she turned to Zuko, who wasn't enjoying the children's company one bit. However, he learned to maintain his composure, for if he exploded at little children, no one would believe that he could save the world. "Look here, Zuko. This is the place where I learned how to create the Ice Sphere." She began swirling water around and around in a circle and when it froze, she was right in the center. She released her position and the ice unfroze. The children all cheered.

"Sister Katara, show us some new moves you learned!" Katara nodded. She readied her stance and raised both her arms high, summoning the melted ice into eight tentacles of water. "I call this the Water-Tentacled Octopus!"

The children all applauded. "Go Katara! You're the best!"

"What a creative name!" Another shouted.

She turned to Zuko. "How about you? Come on, let's see some Firebending action."

Zuko was unsure at first. But that was before the children began antagonizing him. "I bet you're too afraid that a girl is better than you at bending!"

Zuko stretched his arms. "You're asking for it!" He said laughing. "Prepare to see the greatest element in action!" He teased, smiling at the kids and Katara. She readied her defense.

He shot flames at Katara, but she negated all of his attacks with her water slashes. The children gawked at the spectacle as the fire illuminated the sky and the water created a misty fog around them. As Katara fired whips of water at his direction, Zuko created two fire daggers and deflected the blows. He spun and shot a cresent of flames out from his legs. Katara jumped over Zuko and ran toward Zuko's direction. Zuko sprayed fire underneath Katara's feet causing all the ice to melt. Katara's first reaction was to freeze the water beneath her feet. However, her ankle was already in the water, and she froze the water, she got stuck in the floor. Zuko ran up and thrust her fist right in front of her face. He didn't release any flames however. Rather, he extended his hand to lift her out of the ice. He had won the battle.

"Boo!" The children shouted when they realized that Zuko had won the battle. Katara, though a little annoyed that she lost in front of all of the children, still laughed at their response. At least she had won their hearts. Zuko laughed, too. _Once they are more exposed to the world, they'll learn the importance of all four elements_. Katara grabbed Zuko's arm. "Come on, I have a special treat for you." She said. She waved goodbye to the kids and they ran deep into the city, passing many magnificent ice pagodas and towers.

Katara climbed up the stairs and opened the door. "Here is the healing room." She said to Zuko and turned to face an old woman, her previous waterbending healing instructor. "Yugoda! She shouted as she ran and hugged her. The waterbending healing instructor was surprised but returned the hug, glad that her old friend's granddaughter had returned. She turned to the kids she was teaching and dismissed them for recess. "She's the master healer of the Northern Water Tribe." Katara informed Zuko. Then she turned to her, asking whether she could heal Zuko's wound.

"I'm afraid that scar on his face is a scar. There's nothing I can do about that." Yugoda replied.

Katara shook her head. "Not that, Master. I'm referring to this." She turned her head to Zuko and gave him a nod, instructing him to show her his chest.

She inspected the lightning wound from Azula's attack. "Hmmm, this is a very bad. Very bad." Though there was a huge burn, she identified that the wound didn't come from exactly Fire Bending."

"It was from a lightning strike." Katara replied.

"Hmmm… Then it is a lot worse. Fire wounds the skin. Lightning wounds the heart." She murmured to herself. Then she turned and led Zuko to a seat. "Have you been feeling an amazing amount of stress lately?"

"Yes." Zuko said. "Almost every day Katara treats me. However, the pain always comes back at some point, it's excruciating."

"I see," Yugoda said. "And you have been treating him how?"

Katara nodded. "I place my hands on his chest, ma'am."

Yugoda nodded in response, too. "That's the problem." She said. "You can't heal him just by healing his wound. That only deals with the problem at the surface. The lightning attack has blocked his energy flow not only at this chest, but also at his other parts of the his body." She whipped out a healing doll (those used for practice). She waterbended some black ink and splattered it on the chest. "Now that is where you've been treating him. You can untangle the energy around her temporarily, but the energy flow from the other parts—the limbs and the head will get twisted again eventually, resulting in the excruciating pain your friend describes. That's why you have to treat those parts as well." She splattered ink on the legs, arms and legs.

She turned to Katara and laughed. "It seems that even though now you're a master waterbender, you still have some way to go to become a master healer."

Katara's cheeks flushed red, it was true. She had focused so much on fighting that she had forgotten how important the art of healing was. Especially after the war, when the world need healing the most. Zuko pat her on the back, comforting her. "So if I treat him at these points on the body, he'll get better and the pain will go away, right?" Katara said, pointing to each ink splat.

Yugoda nodded. "That's right, pupil, but this would only work if your friends wound was treated immediately. From the looks of it, it has almost been a month since he was hurt."

"That's right," Katara said. "Why?"

"You'll need to finish off with spirit water to do the trick. It's the only thing that will prevent the energy flow from clogging up again."

Katara nodded and began to touch the points on Zuko's arms and legs. Her arms were encased in water and began glowing. After that, Zuko felt much better.

"Thank you so much, Master Yugoda," Zuko said, bowing. "You two, Healer Katara." He teased her, by giving a title. Yugoda smiled and Katara punched him lightly. "Come on, Zuko, we have one final and very special destination: Let's head for the Spirit Oasis."

* * *

_Scene switches_

As the two climbed the stairs and approached the small gates that lead to the secret oasis, two Water Tribe guards blocked the gate with their spears. "We received special orders from the Chief. Your friend is prohibited from entering the oasis."

"But he needs to be healed," Katara argued. "She tore open his shirt to show proof." The guards looked at the wound.

"Tell him to wait outside, then." One said. The other guard nodded in agreement. "Just take some of the Spirit Water and bring it out."

Katara wouldn't take no for an answer. She wanted to show Zuko the beauty and tranquility of the pond, forgetting that he had seen it before during his previous visit.

"But Master Yugoda suggested that we…" Katara voiced.

"There are no exceptions, Sister Katara," the guard who nodded said. "The Chief specifically told us that."

Arguing was pointless and she sighed. "Zuko, why don't you go back to the room and wait for me? I'll prepare some Spirit Water for you."

Zuko nodded disappointingly as he left. Though he was afraid of seeing the pool again, for that was where he and Katara had had their greatest fight, he still wanted to share the moment with her. It seemed, however, that the special moment would have to wait.

* * *

_Scene switches_

He got back to the guest room, sat down, and waited. He waited and waited for several hours, but Katara had still not returned. _Perhaps this Spirit Oasis process takes a long time_. Finally, he took a nap. However, not before long, he woke up, hearing shouts and screams outside the room. He ran out and saw all of the Water Tribe citizens running around.

"What's going on? What is all this fuss about?" He shouted to a woman he grabbed by the shoulders.

"Someone's about to be executed," the woman shivered.

_This was bad, really really bad,_ Zuko thought. He needed to find Katara. "Have you seen a girl, around my age. She's a bit tan, has big blue eyes, and hair loops?" He circled his fingers around and made circles to demonstrate the loops.

The woman shook even harder upon hearing this. "That girl you're looking for…She's the one about to be executed…"

_The situation just got a lot worse_, Zuko thought as he ran off to wherever the execution was being held.

_Fades to black._

* * *

So who is the real culprit? Is it a mysterious Northern Water Tribe citizen? Or is it really Katara? Follow the mystery and tune in for the next act of "The Spirit Thief." You'll meet some familiar faces...or not hehe...

Once again, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Reviews are highly appreciated!


	8. The Spirit Thief, Act 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Here is Act 2 to "The Spirit Thief." I had to revise this version because the previous version didn't work out at some parts. I hope you enjoy reading and please review.

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 3:**

**The Spirit Thief**

...

_He's neither like you nor me._ _Neither human nor spirit. Suspended between death and life, he needs the water to survive in his state. I serve him, and every full moon I rejuvenate him_.

-The Faceless Lady on her master, Avatar Liang-Shek

...

Act 2:

_Katara's feet and arms are incased in ice. She is at the Northern Water Tribe's capital's plaza awaiting for Zuko to come and save her from her sentence.  
_

Katara had almost given up on Zuko. She bowed her head in disappointment when she noticed that he was not there in the crowd to call the execution off. She looked at the Chief's glaring eyes and stared into them. She was in as much disbelief as he was. Chief Arnook was shocked at how Katara, almost a sister to them all, could do such a thing to the heart of the Northern Water Tribe. She was in disbelief that after all of the struggles to escape the clutches of the Fire Nation that she was going to die in the Northern Water Tribe's hands for a crime she didn't even commit.

Or at least she thought she didn't commit. The last few hours were fuzzy in her memory, but everything that the chief described—the hauling of huge amount of water out of the pool—it just wasn't in her character. She had no motive and even no means of leaving the oasis without being discovered. How, then, was she the only suspect of the crime?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice interrupt the execution. The voice, in fact, was a very familiar one.

"Stop! I order you to call off the execution!" Zuko yelled to the chief, waving his hands around. He placed his hands on his knees in exasperation. He had been running as fast as his legs and fire-propelled leaps could carry him. "You're making a mistake—Katara isn't the criminal!"

Katara smiled. Zuko did come to save her!

Chief Arnook turned around to face Zuko with torch still in hand. "And what makes you think that you have the right call it off?" He asked. "You are not even a native of our lands. You have no right."

"But," Zuko gasped, still trying to catch his breath. "I know one thing for sure: Katara wasn't the Spirit Thief."

Arnook was surprised. "Really? So you have proof?"

"Not exactly," Zuko said. "But I do have intuition. And I know that there must be someone else out there who committed the crime."

"Very funny," Arnook said. "But as of now, she's our only suspect. The two guards outside saw her come out while no one went in. And last time they checked, the pool was still intact. Meaning, that it must have been sister Katara that robbed the Spirit Oasis. So to sum it up, it's your intuition versus our evidence… I think that we all agree Katara will not be exonerated."

"Wait!" Zuko cried again in desperation. "There are still questions unanswered!" He was grasping straws right now. "For example," he said, "What motive did she have? Where did she take all of the water? If you can answer all of these questions, then you may continue with the execution."

Arnook looked upward in puzzlement and pondered Zuko's question. In fact, the entire crowd did. None of them could come up with an answer.

"Give me some time to investigate the matter, and if I can't come up with an alternative explanation…" Zuko continued.

"We'll continue with the procedure." Arnook finished the sentence. "All right. I shall grant that request." He faced the crowd now. "Northern Water Tribe citizens, we shall respect the Fire Lord's decision, for none of us want to end a sister's life."

It was hard to hear what the crowd thought for they voiced different opinions. It was clear, however, that many of them didn't want Zuko to succeed. After all, he was partially responsible for the genocide of waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe. Furthermore, Katara had committed a serious crime, ruining the sacred shrine of the Moon and Ocean Spirit.

Zuko walked up to Katara. "Leave this to me," he said. Katara looked into his golden eyes, which radiated nothing but trust. "I will get to the bottom of this, and I swear that by daybreak, you'll be clear of all charges."

"Once again," Katara said. "Thank you Zuko." She didn't have much else to say, for her comments would have been shot down by the other Water Tribe members. She merely turned to the moon. After listening to Zuko's words, it was so ironic of her to wish the sun to come up as soon as possible.

Arnook spoke again. "Fire Lord Zuko. You have two hours, starting now, to conduct your search."

"Give me three," Zuko said.

Arnook looked very stern upon hearing Zuko's bold demand. "We are not bargaining around here…" But then all tension in his face relaxed. "Fine. You have three hours." He activated a switch and water from an aqueduct began pouring into a scale. It counted the time, and whenever the other scale was tipped above the mark, one hour passed. Once all the water was dumped out, the process was repeated. Zuko could only let the scale tip twice. He ran off to the heart of the city to begin a search for all the information he could find.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Zuko is running up the stairs toward the Spirit Oasis._

Zuko's first instinct was to head for the scene of the crime. He climbed up the stairs to head for the entrance to the Spirit Oasis, but there were two guards blocked the way—the same two guards who prevented him from entering before. One of them raised their wolf helmet and peered at Zuko. "It's you again, Mr. Almighty Firelord," he said mockingly. The title of Firelord did one no good if he had no Fire Nation citizens around him to obey him—or if was responsible for the near destruction of the world. He turned serious again. "What do you want?"

"I need to enter the Spirit Oasis. I need to prove that my friend is innocent."

The other one of them laughed. "What makes you think that you're allowed? If your friend, a sister to our tribe, was blasphemous enough to haul nearly all the water out from the pool, imagine what you would do in there. You'd probably burn down all of the vegetation and finish what your friend started."

"But how do I find evidence if I can't enter?"

"Don't ask me. You should've thought it through before coming here."

Zuko pulled his hair. He could just blast the two gaurds' heads of right now for their insensitivity, but he calmed down. "So you two were the ones who witnessed Katara commit the crime, right?"

"Katara? You mean the girl?" The first asked.

"Yeah," the second said. "We were. She didn't come out for six hours." He pointed to the entrance and swiveled the gate open. Zuko caught a glimpse of the oasis—it looked intact except for the pool, which was half-empty. The guard closed the gate again. "It was only when the moon was coming down she left the chamber. Now that's a long time."

"Long enough to haul of the Spirit Water out of the oasis!" The other one said.

"Good observation!" The first said and he raised his hand for a high-five.

_Not the brightest pair_, Zuko observed. _They didn't even catch the simplest holes in their testimony. _"So, she had a lot of time to haul the water out. I know that. Did you see her take it out of the oasis gates?"

They shook her head. "So she came out empty-handed."

"Yes," first guard replied.

"And she didn't say good night back to me." The second one chimed in.

"That doesn't matter!" Zuko was irritated by the irrelevant comments. "What did she do with all the water?"

"Who knows?" One of them shrugged. "She probably did some crazy things. You know how waterbenders are. They can do all sort of things. Take this city for example." He pointed to many of the major structures. "Every building was built of ice. She probably built herself an ice staircase to leave the oasis."

"Or drank it all up!" The other one said. They both laughed.

But their suggestions gave Zuko an idea. _Katara must have found an alternative way out with the water. I'll just find another way in_. He recalled the first time he entered the oasis—how he had found a tunnel that led the way. _Perhaps I could use it again._

* * *

_Scene switches_

Zuko burned a hole into the ice wall at the edge of the city and crawled in. He continued to burn the ice until he created a tunnel. However, as he expended his firebending energy, his chest began to hurt again. Zuko groaned as he clutched his chest. Apparently, Katara had never returned to heal him. She had gone missing and was caught ever since she left the oasis. Though his body began twitching and hurting uncontrollably, he continued to crawl through the tunnel. He finally landed in a cavern full of turtle seals. They began barking again. Rather than exploded at them like how he did last time, he begged them to be quiet. The turtle seals stopped barking and stared at Zuko as he dived into the hole of water.

He continued to swim until he found an opening and landed right onto the ground by the oasis. He looked around. His journey hadn't taken long, for there was still no sign of daybreak. He still had quite some time.

As he walked to take a look around the pool, a white, glowing spirit appeared in front of him. It was the Moon Spirit… or rather the white haired girl he met when he tried to capture the Avatar. "It's you." She cried. "You almost destroyed all hope in the world the last you were here."

"Yes I tried to capture the Avatar before, but now I am to help him and his friends. I need your help. You are the Moon Spirit, right?'

Princess Yue nodded her head. "Part of it. The Spirits transcend the mortal world during the full moon." She lifted her arm and Zuko looked at the sky. "Especially the Moon and Ocean spirits, who rely on it."

"So you were able to witness Katara during the time she stayed her, right?"

Once again, Princess Yue nodded. "It is terribly sad to have seen Katara waterbending all of the Spirit Oasis's water out. She took a huge globe of water and climbed out of the oasis. She made several trips in fact. She took all of them over the huge cliff."

Memories of his carrying the meditating Aang out of the oasis flashed through his mind. "So that's how she got out." Zuko turned to face the steep cliff and could see that there was an ice staircase narrowly jutting out from the cliff.

Yue began talking again. "There was also something unnatural about her. Almost as if her movements were mechanical."

"I'll keep that in mind he said." He began to walk on the narrow staircase, but Yue interrupted again.

"Please…if it's not too much to ask. I need the Spirit Water back. With that much water gone…the fish cannot survive."

"I'll think about it…" He said. He was mainly angry at the Water Tribe's inability to demonstrate hospitality to Katara and him. She was an old friend, and just because of this crime, they were planning on killing her. He was the Fire Lord, and just because he was affiliated with the Fire Nation, he was denied access to the oasis.

As he scaled the stairs, he could hear Yue's voice drowning into the sound of the thick blizzard on the cliff side above of him. "Please…" she said, and it turned softer and softer.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_A man stands in the crowd, staring at the girl strapped into the ice wall with ice shackles. Time was running out, and the scale was about to tip a second time. Two hours were almost up._

_I need the girl... _His thoughts were pulsing through his head. _She and the Firelord are the keys to the puzzle... I need them to live._

When he realized that the three hours were almost up, he left the plaza and walked into an empty and dark room. He took off a thick fur coat and donned on a thinner black suit. He readied two swords and sheathed them. Finally, he had to hid his face. There was no better cover than the Blue Spirit, one of most nutorious and infamous sea spirits ever. He put on the mask and left the room.

If the Firelord didn't come back, he would have to take matters into his own hands.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Zuko is ontop of the cliff, which reveals a gigantic field covered in snow. There is a blizzard raging, and he recalls carrying the Avatar into one of the caves nearby._

With every step, Zuko grew weaker and weaker, but still, he continued to venture deeper into the storm, for he knew that Katara's life was on the line. With each step, he boots were filled with more snow, and lifting his legs became even more tiring. He had to manage his time carefully, for if he traveled too far from the oasis, he would not have enough time to make it back. Getting lost was not a problem, though, for he had his footprints to refer too.

Then, it struck him. There were no other footprints. Not even Katara's. Perhaps they got filled by the blizzard. But that wasn't really plausible, for the snow was so thick that each step was too deep to have been filled in such a short period of time. Perhaps she froze it with waterbended snow… But that was impossible, too, for she was suspending huge amounts of Spirit Water at the time. There was no logical explanation for what was happening. As he pulled himself through the storm, a figure appeared. A figure in the shape of a woman. But as he drew closer to this figure, he noticed that something was greatly wrong with her.

She had no face.

A faceless woman… She was the strangest thing Zuko had ever seen. Shocked, he collapsed into the snow and raised his head to see her again. He wasn't dreaming—she definitely had no face. "Are you the one responsible for the desecration of the oasis?"

She nodded.

"Why'd you do it?" Zuko didn't expect a proper response because she had no mouth, and therefore couldn't answer the question. However, a voice appeared in the echoes.

_Because my master needs it._

She walked toward Zuko, but there was something else strange about her beside the fact that she had no face. When he looked beneath her boots, he realized that she had left no footsteps in the snow. Zuko immediately assumed that she wasn't human. Rather, she was a spirit, like the Moon and the Ocean spirits in the mortal world.

"Your master? Is he like me?" Zuko pointed to his scar. "Did he need the Spirit Water for healing?"

She shook her faceless head. _He's neither like you nor me._ _Neither human nor spirit. Suspended between death and life, he needs the water to survive in his state. I serve him, and every full moon I rejuvenate him_. She placed her hands onto the wound on his chest, summoned water, and her hands glowed white.

Everything she was saying was very strange. So strange that Zuko had almost forgotten about why he had ventured into the blizzard.

"Why have they not noticed before? Why did you take so much out this time?" Zuko continued bombarding with questions.

_Because I love her._ The skies echoed again. She closed Zuko's shirt after the healing. _I didn't want her to leave…_

"You-you love Katara?" Zuko reiterated. He could not believe what he was hearing. He doubted that Katara even knew the Spirit. Perhaps this was unrequited love.

She nodded. _More than any mother could love_.

"Why did you do this then? She's going to die because of you!"

She had no eyes, so she couldn't cry. But from the tones of the echoes, he could tell that she was immensely sad. _I have no choice. My master needs me to._

Zuko could see light from the horizon. Time was running out. The sun was rising, and he was entering his last half an hour of time. When he tried to get up, he couldn't. Suddenly, though, he felt a twist in his arms as they began moving against his will. He began to walk, but it was not his own doing. Then he saw the faceless lady. She was moving her arms almost as if she were a puppeteer. Zuko then recalled his trip with Katara to the Southern Raiders vessel. The faceless lady was blood bending! _That's why her movements were so mechanical--she was being controlled_. As he marched backwards in the snow, he shouted one final question into the distance. The question that he wanted answer the most.

"Who is your master?" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

He began to move toward the precipice from where he came, and before he was about to fall over, he saw the lady feel her featureless face and heard the skies echo very faintly, "The most powerful Avatar in all of history…Avatar Liang-Shek…"

Before he could ponder to think about her response, he first had to save himself. He then scraped the ice, slowing his descent, and with his last bit of energy, turned over, and blasted the ground with fire, which further slowed down his descent. Exhausted, he hit the ground, knocking himself unconscious.

_Fades to black_.

* * *

Note: Not much was changed, because I'm tired, but I added a scene or two. So yeah...


	9. The Spirit Thief, Act 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Note: I revised "The Spirit Thief, Act 2," so if you some parts don't make sense in this chapter, perhaps it is because I changed parts of the previous chapter.

This chapter is going to be a bit confusing, becuase there are a lot of descriptions and action. There's also the appearance of a new character. I hope you can follow through though. Enjoy reading and please review!

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 3:**

**The Spirit Thief**

...

"Don't you die on me right here, Zuko!"

-Katara to Zuko on their escape

...

Act 3:

_At the plaza, the execution grounds. Zuko's time for investigation has run out, and the execution is about to begin. Katara is bound to a wall with ice shackles around her arms and legs. The wall is stuck at the center of a circle, which beneath it, has a waterfall running through it.  
_

Chief Arnook turned and stared at the sky. The sun had completely risen above of the water's horizon, and still, the Fire Lord had not returned from his search. It had struck him as strange that Zuko had interrupted the execution ceremony to rescue the girl but decided not to return. However, a promise was a promise, and Zuko failed to keep his end. He turned to the crowd and shouted, "Do you have any last sentences, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe?"

She said nothing and he turned to the executioner, who was garbed in water tribe robes and wore a big black sack over his head. "Let's begin, then." The executioner nodded. He raised his ax and it blocked the light from the sun temporarily. He then lowered it downwards, allowing the sun's light to come through and reveal what was going to happen perfectly…and swung.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_At the Spirit Oasis._

Right when the sun rays hit Zuko's face, his eyes immediately opened wide. He could feel the warmth from the sun, and that was a bad sign. The sun was already above the horizon, meaning his three hours of investigation were over. He got up onto his feet and darted for the gates, forgetting that he wasn't allowed in the oasis. The two guards were shocked when Zuko blasted himself out. They readied their weapons to detain him, but Zuko turned and menacingly said, "Don't you dare." He had one of his arms raised ready to strike with full flames. His pain from Azula's lightning strike was gone. The faceless lady had healed him.

The two cowered and dropped their weapons. Zuko ran for the direction of the plaza, skipping most of the steps as he leapt and rocketed himself over most of them. He turned and zipped past numerous buildings and bridges and finally came upon a large crowd of Northern Water Tribe citizens who were raucously hollering for and against the execution.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Back at the main plaza._

"What are you doing?" The Chief asked, furiously. His anger was not directed at Zuko. It was to the executioner, who had dropped the ax mid-swing before he could decapitate Katara. He pointed to the outside of the crowd, and there Zuko lay, collapsed from the running. "The Firelord has returned."

The Chief took a look at the scale, which he used to keep track of the time. Though the scale had tipped more than three times, meaning that more than three hours had passed, he decided to let it slip. "Are you back with new information? An alternative explanation and another suspect?"

Zuko nodded. He was lying, however. Though he did have an alternative explanation and another suspect, there was no way he could argue his point. After all, he had met a spirit who had blood-bended Katara to steal the water. Who would believe in the spirit's transcendence into the mortal world and the idea of blood-bending? Only few knew about the latter. Therefore, Katara was still the prime suspect of the crime.

He ran up the stairs and onto the platform that held the Chief, the executioner, Katara, and several prestigious water tribe warriors. He gave Katara an eye, signaling to her that everything was going to turn out all right. She nodded with her arms and legs still shackled into a tablet in the center of the circle.

"Pardon this interruption," Chief Arnook said, "But your findings? Who stole the sacred spirit water?"

Zuko began, "I found several clues that led me to um…solve the case." He couldn't believe it. He sucked at giving impromptu speeches, but his friend's life was hanging in the balance. The Water Tribe members cheered when they heard that he had discovered the true culprit.

"Is he among us?" One of them hollered.

"Is he a waterbender?" Another one shouted.

"Be quiet!" The Chief said, silencing the crowd. "Continue, please…"

Zuko walked up and where Katara was standing in a circle and began pacing around. His leg movements, however, were very unusual. Nevertheless, he continued talking. "The first clue I found, was…" He reached out of his pocket and pulled out the knife Uncle Iroh had given to him. "A knife. The culprit had used it to cut the ice below the oasis."

"So he isn't a waterbender?" One of the warriors asked.

Zuko shook his head as he continued walking. "Rather, he was an earthbender." He showed them the blade and its inscription: "Made in the Earth Kingdom." He wondered for how long could he keep the lies going.

The entire crowd grasped. "An earthbender among us? Impossible!"

"Not if you think about it," Zuko rebutted. "I mean…it has to be. The Spirit Oasis isn't frozen. It's all earth." The crowd nodded. "And underneath these sheets of ice, it is still land." They continued to nod. So far the Firelord's words made sense. "It was when he tunneled a hole underneath the oasis, all of the water was drained out into the tunnel he dug."

"So that's where all the spirit water went! Into the hole he tunneled!"

"Have you found any other evidence?" The Chief asked.

"Yes." He fumbled through his pockets again. He pulled out the clock that he attained from the Astronomer in the secret Fire Nation facility. "Umm… this clock…" He had no idea how he was going to integrate the clock into the story.

As Zuko spoke, Katara noticed his irregular leg movements and finally understood what Zuko was doing. As he paced around the circumference of the circular slate, he was slowly firebending with the soles of his feet. He was cutting the slate off from the mainland, ready for them to use it slide downstream and into the bay for escape.

"He used this clock to…find out when Katara entered the oasis." It was so stupid what he had said. He was hoping that the water tribe people would buy it. He was dead wrong.

One water tribe member finally caught on. "Hey!" He shouted. "Aren't you prohibited from entering the Spirit Oasis?" Everyone realized the flaw in Zuko's explanation. The executioner, the first to react, pulled off his sack and hood, revealing a blue mask—the Blue Spirit's mask. He, with rapid reflexes, he took off the heavy Water Tribe coat, drew out two swords and cut off the ice shackles that bound Katara to the wall she was stuck too. The Water Tribe warriors began charging at the three, and once free, Katara waved her limbs and spun a ball of ice around the three of them to prevent projectiles from entering. There the three—including the executioner who had just revealed himself as the Blue Spirit huddled for a quick discussion.

Zuko took a moment to process the fact that he had just seen the Blue Spirit in action. He had used the Blue Spirit before as a disguise to rescue the Avatar. Who was this man, then? There was no one else Katara knew at the North Pole so well that he would risk his life to save them, was there?He soon realized, however, that the situation they were in was much direr. The questions could wait till later. He spoke first. "Waterbend the waterfall beneath us, Katara. We need to lessen the incline and have this disc of ice slide us out of the Northern Water Tribe Capital."

The Blue Spirit nodded. "You and I will drive the Water Tribe warriors out of the disc, Firelord."

Each of them knew their duty and Katara released the ball of ice into water. She then focused her energy on the waterfall underneath the disc, first reducing the gradient of the spray. Zuko and the Blue Spirit began rapidly attacking the warriors, repelling them all from the circumference. When Katara finally froze the water, she shouted, "I'm ready!"

With all of the warriors out of the circle, Zuko, upon hearing her, took a deep breath. He readied his fists and began trusting them in the opposite direction than the current of the water, firebending huge amount of flames to propel the slate to go down the river. It began accelerating as the intensity of the flames increased.

Chief Arnook had originally thought that the three of them were going to face the entire Northern Water Tribe forces. Now, however, he realized that they were planning to escape down the river and into the bay. The Firelord was cunning, he noted, but he too had a plan. He turned to the warriors and shouted, "Do not let the disc enter the bay! Fire the harpoon crossbows and ready the harpoon ballista!" Several warriors reached out their crossbows and aimed for the ice slate.

Harpoon ballistae and harpoon crossbows were recent Water Tribe advancements in technology. They were designed as weapons in the case of a lunar eclipse or inability to waterbend. Their purpose: to catch fish underneath the ice at the outskirts of the Northern Water Tribe capital city. All that was needed was for a warrior to pull the trigger and fire the bolt through the ice and into the fish. Most were attached with chains so that the fishermen could reel the catch back in. The Ballistae was a bigger version the crossbows, used for attacking bigger fish and even piercing enemy ships.

Many of the bolts from the harpoon crossbows pierced the ice slate, but the disc was too fast and heavy for the warriors, holding the bows, to stop it from sliding down the main river. They dug the heel of their boots into the ice in an attempt to slow the disc's drift. The Northern Tribe waterbenders responded to this problem by freezing the crossbows in the warriors' hands into a pillar into the ground. The bows, now fastened in ice, managed to stop the slate immediately.

The disc was now precariously perched on the edge of a second waterfall that Katara had not finished freezing yet. If she didn't freeze the waterbend and freeze the waterfall into a more suitable angle, the ice would topple down and they would land in the water and get caught.

Because of the sudden stop and Zuko's shooting fire toward the direction of the harpoon warriors, the brake threw him off balance and sent him flying the opposite direction of his firing. He began sliding off the slanted slate, trying to claw himself to a stop. Katara ran and caught him by the arm right before he was about to fall off. Time was running out, since the Northern Water Tribe warriors were now wheeling out the Harpoon Ballistae into the scene of the battle. Though there was only one, it was a lot bigger and more powerful than the crossbow. If fired and aimed properly, it could pierce the entire ice slate into pieces.

The Blue Spirit studied the situation. Katara could easily waterbend and melt the bolts out of the slate, but her arms were focused on saving Zuko. Zuko too, could melt the bolts out with his fire, but he was barely hanging onto the slate. It was up to him to break the bolts out to allow the slate to continue sliding and eventually into the Northern Water Tribe outer bay. He turned to the two teenagers and said, "Leave this to me. Continue what you're doing." Katara and Zuko, too focused on hanging for their dear lives, did not respond. The Blue Spirit ran and began slicing the ice with his two broadswords, trying to slice part of the circle off with all the bolts in it into a separate piece. However, his efforts were futile, and he definitely wouldn't have enough time to complete the breaking. He next tried slicing the chain, but that two would be useless, for the chains were fairly strong and that there were two many fastened into the ice.

His eyes followed along the numerous harpoon chains and led him to the crossbow. They were fairly thinly frozen into the pillars of ice. That was the only way he would free the slate. He faced the two teenagers again and said, "Go on without me." He jumped onto two of the chains and began running for warriors back at the plaza. They fired tiny projectiles at him, but he was able to deflect them with the constant slashing of his swords. He jumped onto the mainland and began deflecting the waterbending blows.

"Don't you die on me right here, Zuko!" She said as she continued trying to pull him back up. Katara began redirecting the water emitting from the waterfall. She guided it into a less inclined slope and froze it. Zuko positioned at the opposite end of the disc and began blasting fire again to propel the slate forward. The only thing holding them back now were the bolts and chains.

The Blue Spirit spun and sliced as he cut apart the pillars of ice that encased the crossbows. One by the one the pillars broke until the remaining few chains were too weak to hold the slate. Those snapped due to the huge weight of the disc itself.

He turned and looked. The circular ice slate began sliding down the river again. When it landed at the bay, the Northern Water Tribe guards at the outer dam, the dam encasing the bay, readied their weapons. They began to thrust spears at the two teenagers, but both Zuko and Katara jumped into the water before they could get hurt.

"We're never going to get out, Zuko!" Katara shouted, noticing that the dam had all blocked all flow from the bay into the sea, where a few miles off the Fire Nation Airship was docked.

Zuko was fumbling with his thoughts as he wildly swung his arms around, trying to stay afloat. Then he remembered something very important. There was another way out: back through the tunnel that he had used to enter the oasis. He would have to use it. Again.

* * *

_Scene switches_

"I want you to search the bay again," the Chief commanded his captain.

"But sir, we've already done it three times. There are no bodies in the water…"

"Search it again!" Arnook was not going to accept the fact that two children managed to evade the entire Water Tribe's grasp.

The captain bowed and signaled the ships to sail around the bay. Chief Arnook walked off of the dock and back onto the plaza, where the Blue Spirit had fought all of the warriors.

The Blue Spirit had been apprehended, for he couldn't handle the entire army after he sliced all the ice pillars. Though he still continued to swing his two blades, the water benders finally managed to freeze his feet into the ground. His arms too were bound.

Chief Arnook ripped the mask off of the Blue Spirit's face, revealing a fairly young man. From his facial structure and skin, he was definitely not Water Tribe. He had just found out that the Blue Spirit had bound and gagged the real executioner. Angrily, Arnook asked, "Who are you, and why are you helping the girl and the Firelord?"

"Because…" he said. "They'll lead me to what I want…"

_So they're alive_, Arnook said, and he punched the Blue Spirit in the head, knocking him unconscious. Now all he had to know is where they've run off too.

Then, the captain ran up to the Chief. "Chief Arnook, sir." He said, saluting.

"Report to me," Arnook said.

"We've found a hole underneath the waters. Apparently, it is a tunnel. That must have been the means of escape the two teenagers used. It leads to the Spirit Oasis." A soldier ran up to the captain. The captain nodded and said, "But the tunnel into the oasis wasn't through the bottom of the oasis."

_So that's how he got into the oasis,_ the Chief said to himself. "They must have climbed up the cliff and entered the blizzard…" Arnook said. "Ready several men and the husky-raptors. Send some of the warriors to take care of the Fire Nation airship. We're going to track them down and get our spirit water back."

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Zuko and Katara scour through the tunnel into the Spirit Oasis and begin climbing the cliff._

Zuko and Katara scaled the ice cliff and at the top, in the front of them was a snowy wasteland. The snow was pounding the ground hard, and the weather hadn't gotten any better since the last time they were there.

"I can't believe it. Right after the war, we've managed to exacerbate ties between the Fire Nation and Water Tribe even further," Zuko said, sighing.

Katara maintained her focus during the entire escape, but it was Zuko's final words that did it. She broke down and tears began trickling down her eyes. "I'm an enemy to my home nation and stuck in a tundra worse than the Shi Wong desert." She fell onto her knees in the snow.

_Shi Wong?_ Zuko thought. _No._ _I haven't lost hope. All is not lost. _Somewhere in this frozen desert were the faceless lady and her master, Avatar Liang-Shek. Perhaps they could help them. Perhaps the spirits could guide them to salvation.

He lifted up Katara from the grounds, and they slowly ventured into the relentless storm.

_Fades to black._

* * *

End of episode three.

Note: I know that the Northern Water Tribe isn't her home nation, but...it is also Water Tribe... yep.

All of the questions and mysterious minor characters will be revealed and the different plots will be tied together, starting from the next few chapters... so stay tuned.


	10. Shin De's List, Act 1

Note: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nor do I own Shindler's List...but this episode has nothing to do with that... other than the fact that the title bears a resemblance and there is a list involved.

Here begins the fourth episode, and it is centered around Aang's team. They visit an Earth Kingdom town that doesn't seem to appreciate Aang's saving the world... Read to find out why...

Enjoy and please review!

* * *

Voiceover:

Katara:

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air.  
Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.  
Only the Avatar, master of all Four Elements, could stop them. After a hundred years have passed, my brother and I found a new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang, who returned to end the Fire Nation's conquest and return peace to the nations._

_But now, we face a new threat...the balance and harmony we sought so hard to restore is on the brink of ruin unless Aang restores airbending to the world. And although his elemental bending is great and his spirit is strong, he has a lot to learn before he can fulfill his duty. But I believe... Aang can save the world._

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 4:**

**Shin De's List**

...

"The workings of the world isn't that clear-cut. We need to stop associating the Fire Nation with evil, and in order to help restore the world, we need identify the problems rather than unwittingly blame them for it."

-An Old Man

...

**The Clock's Countdown: 26 Days Left.**

_Chin the Fourth, the mysterious man at the festival, had recently swindled Sokka of his Lotus constellation map and was walking down the road contently. After weeks and weeks of searching the Earth Kingdom for another clue, he finally found one at a carnival. The map was the next step to solving the mystery, for it bore the same emblem as his other belongings. After walking for about a few hours away from the festival, he opened the scroll of Lotus constellation and tried to make out what the dots meant. However, when he did so, he dropped the canister he had with him onto the ground. When he got back up, he noticed something was horribly wrong. The canister did not have the dragon emblem on it. Panicking, he opened it and checked its contents. He shook his head in disgust. The canister was a duplicate, a fake, and he hadn't noticed it at all. Though he had won the map, he had lost the contents. He had just been conned by a little girl. A little _blind _girl. He clenched his fists._

_He took out a clock to check how much time did he have left. "Twenty six days. I'll have to recover the canister in less than twenty six days."_

* * *

Act 1:

_One Day Later…_

**The Clock's Countdown: 25 Days left.**

Aang was steering Appa as they flew over a mountain range. They were still on the Earth Kingdom mainland, but they decided that after resting in the next village, they would cross the sea and head for the Eastern Air Temple.

The mountains were covered with trees and the scenery looked so serene that Aang wished he could wait awhile and go into the forest to meditate. However, he had a mission: he had to visit the temple before the clock counted down, and it was best to complete it first, for he did not know what obstacles would cross his way.

Toph lay at the back of Appa sleeping. Momo was lying on their chest, and they were both snoring, for it was still early in the morning, and the foggy dew was covering the skies of the mountains. Adding too the snoring noises were Sokka's constant groaning and complaining.

Sokka rubbed his stomach… "Ugh, I'm so hungry…again." His belly rumbled in agreement. Ever since Aang had spent all of their money at the festival, they barely had enough to spend to buy food.

"But we just stopped at a village yesterday. What about all the food we bought?"

"Those were celery-beans and asparagus-sticks…" Sokka complained. "I need real food! I need meat."

Aang slapped the arrow on his forehead. He didn't know how long he could tolerate Sokka's moaning. The best way to end it was to make a stop and find some decent meat to satiate Sokka's hunger pangs.

Toph got up from her position and leaned out of the saddle area and opened her mouth to catch some dew onto her tongue. "What's on our list to do today?" she asked with a mouth full of dew.

"Hungry…" Sokka responded. Eating was the only thing on his mind…and his list.

"Well, first, we'll have to make another stop." Aang said. "Sokka's hungry for meat. Apparently someone doesn't like his veggies," He glared at Sokka.

"Hey!" Sokka protested. "I'm just a simple man with simple needs—and one of those needs includes the occasional eating of animals…"

"I could go for some good meat, also," Toph said. She fell back down onto the saddle and lay down. Besides, we need to stock up before we cross the sea to the air temple."

_Jeez, these two…_ Aang thought. _If Katara were with me right now, we would have already arrived at the air temple_. But Toph and Sokka were his friends, and he was glad that they were on this journey with him. He looked down below him and saw a tiny little village perched on the mountainside. "Look guys!" Aang shouted. "We can make a stop here. We'll have an excellent feast and I hope that you all will stop fussing about food." Aang tightened the reins and Appa began the descent to the village.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Aang, Sokka, and Toph enter the village. Appa is hiding in the forest while Momo is perched on Aang's shoulders._

At the village, Aang, Sokka, and Toph noticed that the citizens were unusually happy. The children were playing around at the fields and the adults continued with their farming business. None of them seemed to show any signs of sorrow or trauma that plagued the other villages during the great war. People were singing and dancing in the market place while merchants yelled out price values.

"Wow," Sokka said, scratching his chin. "It's almost as if the war never struck this tiny town. They all seem so cheerful...These guys are amazingly lucky."

"Or perhaps," Toph began her theory. "That the liberation news reached this place earlier than we all thought."

"My theory isn't that unlikely." Sokka raised his finger in the air. "After all, this is a very, very rural town. It's not near any major city…I think the Fire Nation never bothered colonizing this place…"

"Well, you're wrong," Aang interrupted. He pointed to a banner hanging from one of the houses. There was a Fire Nation insignia dead in the center. "The Fire Nation's been here all right."

Sokka gasped. He ran toward the banner and stared. He felt the material. It was an authentic Fire Nation banner. "What is one of these things doing over here? These guys are decorating thier houses with enemy banners even when the war is over!"

Aang shrugged. "Perhaps the Fire Nation banners look nice, and the people enjoy keeping them hanging outside the houses?"

"Or…" Sokka said, scratching his chin in deep thought again. "The Fire Nation has revolutionized mind-reading techniques and managed to hypnotize this tow to continue serving them. They're probably working on some psychological warfare conspiracy right now and bent on taking over the world…secretly."

"You're really hungry, aren't you?" Toph asked. Nothing that Sokka had said made sense.

Sokka banged his fist on the house walls and screamed, "Yes! I'm going to faint if I don't have anything to eat…" He turned to see Momo, who looked fairly delicious to him once again. He definitely hadn't been this hungry since his visit to the Southern Air Temple.

The family who owned the house heard Sokka's banging and wailing. A man opened the shutters to the house and walked out. "Is something wrong?" He asked. When he saw the three, he frowned.

Sokka ran up and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Meat, meat, meat!" The aggravating hunger pangs had definitely taken their toll on Sokka's mind. His vocabulary was reduced to one single word.

Aang grabbed Sokka and shoved him to the side. "Pardon, mister, my friend is a bit sick."

"Delusional," Toph quipped, commenting on how all Sokka saw now was meat. "Bordering on insane, in fact."

"Yeah…" Aang said sheepishly. Toph wasn't helping the situation by mentioning that their friend was mentally ill. Anyone who knew that would be less inclined to listen to them or even help them. "What we're saying is that do you have any food you can spare for us?"

The man crossed his eyebrows, affronted by the question. "Food? You've come to this tiny village to ask for food? We barely have enough sustenance to keep us alive. Disgraceful."

Obviously, the man had not caught on. Aang pointed to his forehead.

"So you have a big blue tattoo." The man said. He turned to Toph and noticed the lack of color in her eyes. "And your friend here is blind." He faced Sokka now who was now banging his head against the wall. "And this man is…" He couldn't complete his sentence. Sokka was just acting too strange.

_The man was definitely clueless_, Aang thought. "Hello, sir?" Aang said. "I'm an airbender—the last airbender."

"So, what? You're a living relic?" He leaned in. "Look here, young boy. I have a family in there. Four young rascals who are pushing me to the brink of insanity. I don't have time for any more extra mouths to feed and shut up."

"We're not young rascals," Aang yelled.

"I am!" Toph said, raising her hand into the air.

"I'm the Avatar! I helped saved the world from the Fire Nation! Couldn't you just spare us some of your time?" Aang spun his famous airscooter and began sliding around. He also shot a few flames out.

"So what if you're the Avatar," The man said. "You already told me when you showed me your big blue tattoo."

Aang and Toph's jaws dropped. _The man knew already and still he was being anal?_

"Go find someone else's family to pester." And before Aang could make another point, the man shut the gates. Aang stopped his airscooter and sat down dejectedly.

"Don't worry, Twinkle Toes. I'm pretty sure that there are a lot more other families in this that will appreciate your saving the world." Aang wasn't so sure. Toph continued, "Come on, that guy was being too harsh, even for my taste. You're an international hero, of course you'll be welcomed by someone in this village."

"Well, I guess you're right." Aang said, getting up. "He was kind of strange…"

"Stranger than Sokka," Toph interjected. Though she couldn't see, she knew that Sokka's mental state had deteriorated. Now he was just drooling. "I need meat…"

"There are plenty of fish in the sea." Aang lightened up. "Let's get knocking on some more houses."

* * *

_Scene switches_

_The gang visit other families for help and food, but there efforts are useless._

After around one hour of traveling through the village and visiting families, Aang and the group were rejected from every single house. Every family had a reason.

"Our camel-pigs had bad White Jade poisoning," one woman said as she slammed the gate shut.

"Our food spoiled because we exposed them to the sun too much," another man said. Before the group could ask what he was going to eat, he slammed the gates to his house shut too.

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers," one boy said, and he ran off into his house.

* * *

"What is wrong with this village!" Aang scremed. "It's almost as if they hate my presence! Even when I tell them that I'm the Avatar, they're coming up with excuse after excuse!" Toph walked behind him, tugging Sokka in her arms.

"You're exactly right," An old man said as he walked on a cane. He had a long and thin gray white beard that radiated wisdom. His face was strewn with wrinkles and he was wearing a straw hat, likely covering his bald head. The pupils in his eyes were as white as his hair. On his back was a fairly heavy backpack--heavy for his age at least. "They do hate you." He swept his cane across the ground, and sat down in the middle of the road.

"Finally!" Toph said. "Another blind person!" She let go of Sokka's arm and sat down right next to him. "How's it going?" She asked. "I mean, how are you dealing with the darkness?"

"It's all right," The man said, laughing. "The darkness in your eyes allows you to see the light in many other things." He tapped his stick around and felt the girl sitting right across from him. "How'd you know that I'm blind if you're…"

"It's a long story," Toph said.

"Ah," The blind man said. "If there's anything blind people appreciate, it is a good, long story. Perhaps you can tell it to me later."

Aang cut into their conversation. "What do you mean this village hates me?" He asked.

The old man unpacked his backpack and took out a tea kettle. With two spark stones, he started a fire in front of him. "They hate you because before you intervened in the war. You defeated the Fire Nation. Before the nation's fall, they were having a good time."

"A good time? They were a Fire Nation colony! How could they have possibly been having it go so well?"

"Didn't you see the children playing around the people going on with their lives? They're happy as can be!" The old man now was pouring water into his tea kettle. "Don't be so close-minded, young Avatar. The workings of the world isn't that clear-cut. We need to stop associating the Fire Nation with evil, and in order to help restore the world, we need identify the problems rather than unwittingly blame them for it."

"That's possible that the Fire Nation was good," Aang replied, remembering his words and the girl he met at the festival. "But how could their colonization possibly help this village?"

"Are you blind?" The old man said. Then he laughed at his calling the Avatar blind. "Look around this village. What do you see?"

"Houses—many, many houses. Some fields for farming. Barnyards too."

"But look at their conditions! These families are so poor." The old man was now brewing the tea and preparing to pour it into a cup.

"The walls are made out of cheap earth," Toph noted. "And there seems to be many cracks on them and the road. The city smells bad…even for my taste."

"Sure, they're living relatively happy lives, since they were never mistreated by the Fire Nation. But they're still depressed that the Fire Nation had left because before the colonization of the village, their lives were like how you described them to be--poor and lacking. After the Fire Nation came and sent the workers into the factory, they got a taste of the industrial life. Sure, conditions weren't great, but the employers there treated them well. The villagers had the chance to taste some of the greatest imported foods, and best of all, they were not tortured or abused like many of the other colony citizens. Now that the Fire Nation has been driven out by the Earth Kingdom's Post War Restoration Forces, otherwise known by the ungainly initialization, EKPWRF, their lives are now poor again. The Fire Nation was, ironically, their hope to a better life, and you, the Avatar, extinguished it. Now all they can do is to attend their farms and live their life unaware of the world outside the village."

He took out more cups from his backpack. "Care for some tea?" he asked. "I'd be honored to share lunch with the great Avatar."

"And his friends," Toph added. The blind man pat her on the back.

"And his friends of course," he said laughing.

Sokka jumped upon hearing the word lunch and headed straight for the backpack. The old man, with his stick, fended him off. "Let me prepare first, though." He unfolded a blanket and got out some meat and vegetables from his backpack.

"Tell me more about this village, please." Aang said and he too sat down cross-legged.

"Well, it started a week ago. Everyone was happily working in the Fire Nation factory. They were making special weapons for the Fire Nation." He reached out and pulled out a rock. "This is Steel Jade, a special kind of element that one can only find in these mountain ranges."

He gave it to Toph to handle. She tried to bend the substance, but it didn't work. "That's so strange…" She said. "I can't earthbend this rock."

The old man laughed. "You have much to learn, then. That rock isn't made of earth."

"I know," Toph said. "It's made of steel also, but I can't seem to metalbend it either."

"Exactly," The old man "it's the amalgam of the two substances that makes it so difficult to bend. You can probably bend metal and rock, but the fusion is so strong that this steel jade is unbendable. It was when the Fire Nation discovered this element that they decided they had to implement in their weapons system. You know, so no one can bend to destroy their weapons."

"So it's because this village was so very important to them that the Fire Nation treated them well, right?"

"Yes and no," The old man said. He unpacked the meat and began roasting them on a stick. Sokka eyed it intently, licking his lips in anticipation. He finally began to regain some sense upon smelling the camel-pork. Though both Aang and Toph were puzzled by the man's response, Sokka caught on.

"So you're saying that the employers treated them well because they were good people themselves."

The old man nodded. "You catch on quickly when you're not…uh…crazy."

"I'm a lot crazier than you make me out to be," Sokka retorted. He was recalling his previous crazy schemes in the Shi Wong Desert and the Boiling Rock. "Can I have some of the camel-pork now?"

The old man laughed and Sokka swiped the pork-on-a-stick and began eating ravenously. "So what have the Fire Nation staff members done to be so popular around here?"

"The staff members have names…They manager of the factory is Shin De, a master sword smith. Apart from importing some really great food, I head that he's been keeping a list. He's been selecting a few people, especially kids, smuggling them into other cities, and enrolling them in academies."

"That's awesome," Aang replied. "He sounds like a great man."

The old man agreed and smiled.

"And what about the AK whatever…?" Sokka asked.

"The EKPWRF." Toph and Aang chorused simultaneously. "I remembered it by mnemonics," Aang continued. "Eating kelp proves worthy of restoring fatigue."

"You don't restore fatigue—ah nevermind." Sokka said. "What did the EKPWRF do to the factory, however? Did they destroy it?"

"No, they just expunged the factory owners and all other staff and personnel."

"Then that's it!" Aang said, standing up. "All I have to do is to save this Shin De man and his staff and personnel, return the factory to its former glory and become a hero again!"

"Aang, I think you better think this through," Sokka said with his mouth half full. "I mean, we've never met these Fire Nation staff before. Who knows whether they're good or not? They probably have ulterior motives with their being kind to the people of this village!"

"Of course, I know that. But remember what this man said. Not everything is black and white. Don't be suspicious just because they're Fire Nation. These people need our help!"

"I agree with Twinkle Toes," Toph said. "Besides, if we win their trust, imagine how much food they'll likely lend us."

Sokka, though tempted by Toph's point, sighed. "It's because not everything is black and white we need to consider our actions more. I mean, think about it. This Shin De person has been exceptionally kind, which is strange. Smuggling? Last time I checked the Fire Nation colonization code, you could get killed if you smuggled a refugee or a prisoner…" All of this heroism and restoration was going into Aang's head that it was clouding his thoughts. Sokka recalled how he had made the fatal mistake during the Day of the Black Sun because of his love for Suki, costing most of the army imprisonment. He was about to speak out, but the other three ignored him. He was giving a Sokka monologue again, and decided to continue to munch on the meat. _Who cares? _He thought. _I have my meat, and that is all that matters._

The four of them ate vigorously, and after the meal was over, the old man got back up.

"Thanks for the meal, sir." Aang said.

"It was much appreciated," Sokka commented, wiping the remaining bits off his lips with his arms. "Is there any way we can repay you?" He reached into his empty money sack. "Umm…"

"No need for money," The old man said. "I just wanted to share a good meal with a couple of nice strangers. Now, if you could help me clean this mess we made…"

"No problem!" Aang said. He began waterbending the plates and bowls clean. Toph stomped her feet onto the ground, sending all of the plates into the air. When they landed, they formed a clean and neat stack. She held the plates down while Aang airbended a huge current of wind, drying all of them.

"And you?" The blind man said, turning to Sokka.

Sokka caught on and took the stick which originally had the camel-pork meat stuck through (Before he ate it). He ran it through his mouth again and licked every last bit of meat and oil clean off. "Ta-da!" he said.

"You're not very bright, are you?" The old man said seriously. But then he laughed. It wasn't often that had the chance to dine with a real prankster.

Momo ran to lick Sokka in the lips and Aang and Toph laughed too.

"Well, come on, guys!" Toph said, gesturing them to follow her. "Let's get ready for some fun!" The three off them ran off, ready to restore the Avatar's image to the village while the old man waved them off.

_Fades to black._

* * *

Note: So this is the first act to a six-act story (two parter) where they learn about Avatar Liang-Shek's past and their duty/plot of the story at last! I will likely tweak the otehr chapters and fix the typos. Please read and review.


	11. Shin De's List, Act 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

**Summary: **In the previous act, Aang and the gang have just visited a tiny Earth Kingdom village. However, the people do not appreciate the Avatar because he defeated the Fire Nation, causing the Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Forces (EKPWRF) to drive out remainding Fire Nation occumpants and governors in the kingdom. Apparently, one of the Fire Nation factory owners, Shin De, was really kind to the townspeople, bringing to them Fire Nation culture, food, and knowledge. He victim to the EKPWRF and was taken away. Now Aang, Sokka, and Toph have decided to rescue Shin De to improve Aang's image and make a point to the world that you can't judge a person by his nation.

Note: Here is the second act to a six-act two episode story featuring Aang, Sokka, Toph, and a variety of other characters. This time, Momo, everybody's favorite lemur, is involved, too. I guess by now you can tell that I am going with a Sokka and Toph shipping because they sort of have fun with each other in this act. I hope you enjoy this act and please review!

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 4:**

**Shin De's List**

...

"They won't give up anything to anyone unless it involved, one, freedom, or, two, money. Sure you're the almighty Avatar, but they don't give a mole badger's butt if you don't have any authority or gold."

-Toph, on Earth Kingdom Refugee Soldiers

...

Act 2:

_Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Momo travel to the EKPWRF's camp to find Shin De and free him._

Aang landed Appa behind several boulders and down in the valley they spotted the Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Forces camp. It was composed of mainly a bunch of tents, but there was also a few prison cells scattered in the center of a ring of tents. Outside the outermost tents were a short wall that was earthbended out of the ground.

Aang pat Appa on the back. "Stay here, boy. I'll be back soon."

Sokka was stunned. "You're going in by yourself? I thought we were a team!"

Aang pointed at the arrow on his forehead. "Don't worry. I'm the Avatar. All I have to do is to walk in. They'll understand what I have to say." He straightened his shirt. "Play it cool, Aang."

Sokka was about to grab Aang's shirt and stop him, but Toph pushed him back. "Let him handle this by himself. It makes our job a lot easier." She lay on the ground and relaxed.

"Fine." Sokka said and he sat right next to her as he watched Aang walk down the mountain Appa was parked on and toward the Earth Kingdom camp.

"So what's up right now?" Toph asked him. "Everything all right?" It was a bit awkward making small talk, since in the past few months they never had time for conversation.

"It's fine," Sokka replied. "I'm not sure about our rescuing this man, though. As I've already pointed out, we don't even know him."

"Pfft. Come on, sometimes you have to be less calculating and believe that the world is a better place. How are we going to help the people out if they themselves aren't good? Don't forget that you were the second most skeptical about Zuko's reform. And guess how that turned out."

"I know, I know…" Sokka lay his head down right next to Toph. "It's just that I have this nagging feeling."

"Nagging feeling? You're sister is really rubbing off on you, huh?"

Sokka immediately got up from the ground. "Hey, don't call me that!" He shouted to Toph. "We all know that she's the motherly waterbending master while I'm the kick-butt plan guy and sword fighter!" Toph laughed. It was always funny to see Sokka try to make a point.

* * *

_Time Passes_

Aang walked back up the mountain, but there was no Fire Nation employer or prisoner traveling with him.

"So, how'd it go, Twinkle Toes?" Toph got out from behind a rock, wearing one of her royal uniforms. "Did you get Lord Savior for us?"

Aang was about to answer, but he was surprised by the fact the clothes Toph was wearing. "Why are you in a dress?" The Toph he knew abhorred girly clothing.

"Don't laugh at me," Toph said. She pulled out Sokka from behind a rock, who was also wearing a royal costume. He even had a thin mustache inked on his face.

"What the?" The last time Aang saw Sokka with facial hair when Sokka was presenting himself as Aang's father at the Fire nation Academy.

"Hey! Don't make fun of the mustache. It's part of the act. It was all Toph's idea. Trust me. My plan wouldn't have involved wearing such…uncomfortable clothing. Or this devilishly wicked mustache."

"Plan?" Aang was confused now. Something had been going on behind his back. Sokka explained. "You see, Toph made a bet that you couldn't get Shin De out from the camp just by selling yourself to them. That reminds me." He turned to Toph and reached into his pockets. "Here's five silver pieces."

Toph took them and stuffed them into her pocket, grinning.

Aang grabbed his bald head in astonishment. "Toph, you knew that I couldn't get Shin De from the camp? Why didn't you just tell me not to go then?"

Toph shrugged. "There was a chance you could've. Hence the bet we made. If you did, it would have saved me and Snoozles here some energy."

"How were you so sure, though?" Aang asked. He assumed the fact that Toph was sure, for she had very sharp intuition.

"We're talking about _Earth Kingdom_ soldiers. Stubborn soldiers! The war is over, and still they're away from their family. They won't give up anything to anyone unless it involved, one, freedom, or, two, money. Sure you're the almighty Avatar, but they don't give a mole badger's butt if you don't have any authority or gold."

"Even to the person who likely saved their lives?" Aang was disgusted.

"Even to the him," Toph repeated.

"So they won't help one of the most powerful benders in the world, but they'll help you because…?" Aang asked.

"Because I'm rich," Toph said, finishing the sentence. "I'll just redirect them to my family, tell my parents to give them some gold, and we're done. Problem solved."

_Who would have known that once honorable Earth Kingdom soldiers had fallen to become no better than mercenaries._ Aang thought. "So what do I do?"

"You stay here, Twinkle Toes," Toph said. "You've had your shot. We'll handle this." She gestured to Sokka and the two climbed down the mountain.

Aang watched them leave. He turned to look for Momo. "Hey, do you want me to show you the nuts I found in the bush down there?" Momo, however, wasn't with Appa. _Where could he have gone?_

* * *

_Scene switches_

Toph approached the main gate of the camp with Sokka following her. One of the guards lowered his spear. "You are entering an authorized zone. What right do you think you have?" He said.

"I'm Toph. Toph Beifong." She placed raised her ticket and showed it to the head guard.

He took it from her hand, looked at it, and felt it. It was real. "The emblem of the flying boar. You're a Beifong."

She stomped her foot. "Did you not hear me? I just introduced myself as Toph Beifong."

The guard laughed. "Well, I'm just surprised that a royal family member like you would come to such a tiny camp like ours."

"Explain why, Butler" Toph said, shoving Sokka between her and the guard.

Sokka cleared his throat and scratched his head. In a deeper voice he said, "Well, you see, Miss Bei Fong here is…um…" He began stumbling on words but then he saw a sign by the door that read, _Hiring New Janitor_. He finally got an idea. "She's looking for someone to hire. For her estate. She says that her…uh…" He tried to recall the last time he went to the estate and how many people were there. "She says that her sixty servants aren't enough."

Toph punched Sokka in the shoulder. "Don't forget yourself and the other butlers." She turned to the head guard. "Sorry, my butler doesn't really know his math." She faced Sokka again, and in a reprimanding tone, said, "Do you want me to fire you, too?"

Sokka groaned. He couldn't believe that Toph was making fun of him during such a serious situation.

"So she stops at my little camp in search of a servant? Why, I'm flattered." The guard bowed to Toph. "This is a prison camp heading en route to Ba Sing Se, so I'm afraid we cannot help you out here. We don't have anyone for hire. I'm really sorry, Miss Bei Fong."

"Tell it to my parents when I report to them that you denied my request."

The guard now kneeled on the floor. "I'm really sorry, but I'll lose my job. I'm under strict orders…"

"Fine, how about this. I'll spare you and your friends some money if you just lend me one of your prisoners."

The guard stroked his beard. "Well…perhaps…"

"She means a lot of money," Sokka chimed in. He gave a wink and a thumbs up.

The guard nodded. "Let's discuss this transactions in one of the tents." Toph and Sokka followed him around the quarters and into a pavilion. The guard lowered the blanket over the exit. "Sorry about our facilities. It's just that we are about to leave tomorrow."

"Bah, it's all right." Toph said. The guard guided them into a tent. She snapped her fingers once again. "Butler, ready my mat."

Sokka took out a rug from his bag and unfurled it. Toph asked the man, "So what kind of people do you have for me?"

The guard opened the tent entrance and guided her out of the room and Toph followed. Sokka slapped his head angrily and rolled up the mat. _She didn't use it at all! Why is Toph still abusing me?_

The guard took them to a row of cells. "So what kind of people are you after?" He pointed at a man with fairly skinny frame. "How about Lee? He's a fairly good earth craftsman, once we break him, he'll probably be more obedient."

Toph shook her head. "I'm not looking for Earth Kingdom worker. I want Fire Nation."

The guard's jaw dropped. "Fire Nation? Are crazy? They're the enemy nation!"

"There are tons of earthbenders in the kingdom. Why do you think we came to your camp? Because we want a firebender! Butler, explain!" Toph shouted.

_Why did Toph always have to leave the hard questions to me?_ Sokka straightened up. "She wants Fire Nation because…" Sokka was stumped. Then he recalled his massive hunger pangs and came up with a convincing argument. "Because Miss Bei Fong is looking for a new cook at her estate. And no one would understand the art of cooking better than a master flame controller. That is why she wants a firebender."

"Exactly!" Toph shouted. "You read my mind. That's why my parents hired you. Now let's get on with the tour."

The guard nodded and showed her all of the Fire Nation soldiers they captured.

"So who's this guy? Butler, describe to me."

Sokka peered in and saw a man around his mid forties. He had a thin black beard and a huge grin. Though he was obviously trapped in a prison for breaking the law, he seemed really friendly. Sokka described to Toph all the features. "Seems like a decent guy. What's his name?"

"Dong." The guard said.

"Dong?" Sokka scratched his chin. "It's like the sound of a bell. _Dong! _That's a nice sound...I like it! We'll take him!"

Dong leaped and yelled out a "Woohoo! Now I get to stay at a super rich estate!"

Toph jabbed Sokka in the belly. "We're here looking for Shin De, you dolt. Don't go taking unnecessary calls!"

Sokka rubbed his stomach. "I think you may have destroyed my digestive tract."

Toph turned to the tour guard. "I'm sorry, but my butler here…" She glared at Sokka with her blind eyes (She heard that it was effective at demonstrating anger) "…doesn't know what he is saying. I make the calls." Dong slumped back into his cell with a heavy sigh. Toph spoke again. "Do you know a man by the name of Shin De?"

"Shin De?" The guard said. He sounded shocked. "Why would you need Shin De?"

"I want him. I heard that he has a good attitude."

"He fights like a beast, too," the guard said. "It was hell to capture him. He was going crazy shooting fire all around. If it wasn't for the fact that he was outnumbered six to one, I don't know what would have happened. Are you sure you want him? He's dangerous."

This all struck as really weird to Sokka. This friendly Fire Nation employer didn't sound so friendly anymore.

Toph slammed her fist into her palm. "Well, I like it that way. I want a man with some fight. He could double as a body-guard for me. Unlike my Butler here."

"Hey!" Sokka shouted. "I can fight!" He picked up a stick and swung it around.

Toph earthbended a rock at his direction, breaking the stick easily. "But you can't bend. Now keep your mouth shut."

Sokka slumped and walked behind Toph. First, he was commanded by his sister. Now he was being commanded by a blind twelve-year old girl. Who would he have to obey next?

The guard was puzzled Toph's last statement. He didn't know why such a diminutive girl like her would want such a wild man. "He's not here. We just held an interrogation with him. He's in one of the other tents right now."

"I don't care. I want him." Toph stated.

"You can't. The Avatar just came by. He wanted to meet Shin De also. Shin De's under scrutiny for now. We suspect that he might be involved in an infamous rebel group."

"Really? It doesn't matter. Let's get on with this. There's no one else I'll choose."

"Miss Bei Fong, we are terribly sorry, but we simply can't. I have another person who would be glad to work for you. Perhaps he could prepare us some dinner? I'm sure you'll like him!"

Toph was going to deny the request, but Sokka jumped in and said, "Dinner? Sure!" He could never refuse the opportunity for food.

Toph jabbed him in the stomach again. "Stop fooling around. It looks like it is time for our backup plan."

* * *

_Scene switches_

The three walked into a dining tent. Sokka unfurled the carpet again and Toph sat down beside the short table. She placed both of her legs on the table and leaned back. "Cushion!" She shouted. Sokka grabbed a pillow and placed it under her head.

"So what does this cook of yours have in store for us?" Toph asked.

"You'll see. But it'll be something special for sure."

"Thank you for your hospitality. How about in return, my Butler will prepare some tea for the both of us."

"That would be greatly appreciated," The guard said, bowing. He left the room to ask the cook to prepare dinner.

Sokka nodded and ran out of the tent. Outside, he took out a tray and teapot and two cups out. He whipped out ingredients and began preparing the tea. He took out a Saber-tiger Lily, which was rumored to be poisonous, and added to the tea. When consumed, Saber-tiger Lilies could cause short-term memory loss.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Inside the kitchen tent._

Momo had left Aang and Appa earlier in search of food. He sniffed the air and could smell all sort of good stuff going on. He dodged the steps of all the Earth Kingdom guards and ran into one of the tents. There, he heard one of the guards give an order to the cook, who was moving like crazy around with the utensils and pots.

"One of the Bei Fongs is here. She wants to sample your cooking. If you do well enough, she might hire you."

The cook's jaws dropped. _A Bei Fong at our little camp? This could be my big break!_ He took out a book and was searching through a meal to make. Momo ran across the counters and into a sack full of nuts.

"Hmm… The Super-Spicy Chili Flambe with Hot Sauce…" The cook murmured to himself, but then shook his head. "Nah… They'll probably get the idea I'm Fire Nation." He flipped the page over. "Perhaps Stone Soup…" He shook his head again. "Nah, I need to give her the impression that we have better food around this camp than…rocks." He finally got an idea. "It's autumn. I'll cook a special Air Nomad dish!" He searched bag of nuts in preparations of making a fruit cake for desert, but then felt a furry creater. Momo leaped and began flying through the air.

The cook rubbed his eyes. "Is that a lemur? I thought those critters were extinct!" He grabbed a huge fork and closed the tent's door. "Better for me I guess. Now I can prepare a special Lemur Soup for Miss Bei Fong."

He started throwing silverware in Momo's direction. "Come down you little, little, lemur." Momo tried to dodge the flying utensils the best he could, but one finally hit him, knocking him onto the floor. The cook bound and gagged Momo. Next, he began cutting vegetables for the soup.

Momo uncovered the gag and began gnawing on the rope. The soup was almost done, and the cook was about to cut him up. Right before the cook grabbed a knife, Momo snapped the rope and flew free.

The cook angrily began the mad chase again. Momo managed to kick some flour into the cook's face, blinding him. The cook grabbed a piece of chicken, mistaking it for Momo, and laughed. "Ha, ha… I finally have you now!" He raised a knife and cut the chicken into pieces, dumping them into the bowl of boiling water.

Momo pushed hard on the tent flap and flew out of the tent.

After the cook washed his face and came back in, the soup had finished. He poured it into bowls, put them onto a tray and headed for the dining tent.

* * *

_Scene switches_

The cook walked into the dining room. "In celebration of the season, I have prepared for you a special dinner." He placed the bowls and silverware down onto the table. "Behold, Lemur Soup!"

Sokka grabbed his spoon, shouting, "Oh boy!" And began to dig in.

Toph was thinking. "Did you say Lemur Soup?" She asked the cook.

"Why yes. I was fortunate enough to have one fly into my tent during my preparation of the meal. Who knew they still existed?" He shrugged. "Let me prepare some special fruit pies, now." He left the tent.

_Oh shoot…_ Toph thought. _I hope he's just bluffing to sell himself better._

The guard who gave them a tour of the facilities began drinking the soup, but it was too hot for him. He reached for his tea and began drinking. After a few sips, he fell over onto the ground and began shaking violently.

Toph turned to Sokka.

"What the heck did you do? He's not supposed to be shaking! He's only supposed to black out!"

"Hmm…" Sokka said, wiping the remaining soup off of his mouth. "That tasted more like chicken than lemur…" Then it hit him… "Is Momo with Aang?"

Toph ignored his question and asked her own again. "What did you put in his tea?"

"Well, we had three Saber-tiger Lilies, so I put them all in."

Toph clasped her forehead with her palms. "Darn it! You're only supposed to put in half of one!" She remembered Uncle Iroh's tea teaching very specifically. Putting in more than one could be disasterous. Apparently, Sokka hadn't remembered her orders.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_With the guard knocked out, Toph and Sokka free Shin De._

With the guard knocked out, Toph and Sokka easily found Shin De. He was in a cell-box like the others, except for the fact that he was placed in a tent. Toph metal-bended the bars apart and pulled him out. Before Shin De could make any comment, Toph said, "Follow us."

She pulled him out of the tent while Sokka looked for a safe way out. "There!" he shouted and pointed in the direction where there weren't any guards around. They ran that way and Toph, with her earthbending, catapulted them all out of the camp. They ran to the outskirts of the mountain where they met Aang.

He noticed the arrow tattoo on Aang's forehead. "Ah, Avatar, it is an honor to be in your presence." He bowed.

Aang bowed too. "I'm the honored one. I'd never thought I'd meet a Fire Nation citizen who would give the Earth Kingdom villagers so much hope. You are truly inspirational."

"Thank you," Shin De said in reply. "Now I can finally return back to my factory."

"Well, let's get a move on," Aang said as he waved for them all to get onto Appa.

"Where's Momo?" Sokka asked, wiping off his mustache.

"I thought he was with you," Aang said.

Before any of them could say anything, Momo flew through the sky and landed on Aang's shoulder.

"Whew!" Toph said. "Thank god that dish wasn't really Lemur Soup."

"I knew it!" Sokka shouted. "My taste bud's never fail me. That was just plain old Chicken Soup!"

They all got back onto Appa and headed for the Earth Kingdom village. "I can't wait to see how they react," Aang said, pulling the reins.

Shin De nodded and patted Aang on the back.

_Fades to black._

* * *

I know not much happened in this act, but the next few chapters will be a lot longer and more interesting. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next act... and the next episode. Please review! They are much appreciated.


	12. Shin De's List, Act 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

**Summary:** Aang, Sokka, and Toph arrive at a village that doesn't appreciate the Avatar. In order to improve his image, Aang decides to save one of the village's heroes: Shin De, a Fire Nation factory owner. In the previous act, they have just rescued Shin De from an Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Forces (EKPWRF) camp.

Note: Here is the final act to "Shin De's List." I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review.

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 4:**

**Shin De's List**

...

"Being Fire Nation doesn't necessarily mean you are always evil and wicked. You've shown that a nation doesn't make the people. Rather, the people make the nation."

-Shin De, a Fire Nation factory owner, on the residents of a tiny village

...

Act 3:

_Right after Shin De's rescue, Aang and the gang returned to the village. Shin De decided to hold a congregation in his factory, which was several miles off from the village. Aang Sokka and Toph are with him in the mess hall on a stage, while a crowd of villagers are in front of them. Appa and Momo are outside of the factory grounds._

"I've been saved today, and I have to thank the Avatar and his friends for all their help." Shin De said as he walked around the stage.

The crowd was wild, yelling a loud "Hurrah!"

"I head Avatar Aang's story regarding this village." Shin De pat Aang on the back. "He told me how most of you refused to lend him food or hospitality. Now is this why I protected this village from the Fire Nation? So you could survive and mistreat the Avatar? I think not."

The villagers all bowed their heads in shame. They, too, were disappointed in their behavior now. One of them shouted, "We're awfully sorry, Avatar." The others nodded.

"I protected this village because I believed that you, this village, could change the attitude of the world."

Sokka and Toph both rolled their eyes. _What a sappy and overly sentimental lecture, _they both thought.

Shin De continued. "And I expected better…" He sighed. The villagers were taking his words pretty hard. He could see that some of the more emotional ones began crying. _Wow they're fragile,_ Shin De thought to himself. He had to change the course of the lecture or else have a huge cry-fest. "And though I expected better…we all make mistakes. We all will learn. Besides, I have to thank you guys…you have shown to the Avatar and perhaps even the world that trust can transcend nations. Being Fire Nation doesn't necessarily mean you are always evil and wicked. You've shown that a nation doesn't make the people. Rather, the people make the nation." He clenched his fingers into a fist to make an emphasis. "And I have to thank you guys for saving my life."

Some of the people stood up an applauded, but Shin De tried to calm them down. He wasn't finished. "I shall cherish my freedom. Tonight, we will have a party. We'll continue the production of Steel-Jade items, except rather than making weapons, we'll manufacture items that are less dangerous, like utensils and silverware."

The crowd cheered and hollered once again.

"And you know what? Part of the money we make will go to help restore the Fire Nation for its losses."

Some of them moaned. They obviously didn't like the fact that part of the revenue would go to the Fire Nation. After all, for several years, all they have been doing was make money for them.

Shin De tried to make a point. "Don't worry guys. Have I ever let you guys down before? Have I never fulfilled my end of the promise?"

One man yelled "No!" and the others nodded in assent.

"That's right. And I don't intend to break it now. The Fire Nation needs out help, and we're going to give it to them. This is our first step to show the world we are not just another insignificant Earth Kingdom village."

"And it's not just about the Fire Nation. It' about you guys too. Sure, I've may have helped you guys from the Fire Nation. But it was you guys who saved my life. You inspired the Avatar to come and rescue me. That's why, though part of our revenue will still go to the Fire Nation, the other part… you guessed it. It'll go to this very village." He shot flames into the air with his hands. "We are going to spend it to renovate this place!" He pointed to one of the people in the front rows. "You sir, what would you like to see?"

One of the men said, "A library!"

"Good choice," Shin De replied. "I'm quite the scholar myself—an archeologist during my free time. Tell you what: in perhaps just one month, we can have a library constructed. In a year, we'll have enough books for every person in Omashu. And that's a lot!"

They clapped. Another person raised his hand. "My family needs better farming tools."

"No problem," Shin De replied again. "We'll get some more machines and capital to manufacture farming tools." The man and the other farmers in the group smiled. Shin De continued. "But I'll tell you what. Do count on getting farming tools…because if we work hard enough, you'll have a better life in the city. Have your own house inside the magnificent walls of Ba Sing Se. Tour the capital or become an entrepreneur there. You may think these to be improbable dreams, but if we worked hard enough, nothing is impossible!"

Aang, Sokka, and Toph finally understood why the villagers loved Shin De so much. He cared about the people more than his own well being, yet he was still able to have a good time. He knew how the almost every villager felt and knew how to tackle each emotion. Shin De almost reminded them of Uncle Iroh. Aang waved his hand in the air. "Do you think you can build an Air Shrine in the village? Just as a token of appreciation?"

Shin De scratched his head. He didn't know what an Air Shrine looked like, but was happy to oblige. "Sure! We'll build an Air Shrine!"

Aang yelled "Yippee!" and circled the stage happily on his air scooter."

"Now with this all said and done, let's have ourselves one heck of a party!" He shot out flames once again. "Let me go visit my friends and we'll provide the drinks." He gestured to Aang. "And now, the Avatar!"

Aang finally understood that Shin De wanted him to entertain all of the villagers while Shin De got the refreshments so Aang began firebending. He performed a few tricks and then moved onto waterbending, with which he created a sphere of different colored liquids. The crowd cheered him on vigorously, and Aang was finally happy to have won the hearts and love of the villagers.

As Sokka watched the show, he scratched his chin. _Wow. Shin De's quite talker. Perhaps he could be a spokesman for Aang._

Sokka wanted to go check up on Shin De and ask him some questions, but Toph grabbed his shoulders. "Where you heading for Snoozles? Not going to watch Aang do his tricks? He's probably going to do some earthbending next!"

"Nah." Sokka said, brushing Toph's arms off. "Need to check on something."

"Ha… I bet you still doubt the Shin De man."

"No," Sokka said, shaking his head. He really didn't doubt Shin De anymore. He was just curious about how new could read feelings so well.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Sokka walks out to the factory grounds to find Shin De. Shin De is at the gate of the fence of the factory, talking to someone inside a carriage. Sokka hops into a bush and begins eavesdropping on the two._

"I'll tell you Ru Fei. These guys are suckers…" Shin De said. "They actually believe that I will resuscitate this dying little village. What do I care about them? They have no resources, no talents, no nothing!"

Sokka gasped. He was right. Shin De was a con man. Sokka never knew that he would live to see the day he wished he was wrong. _What did he mean that this village lacked talent, though?_

Shin De continued talking. "So I've decided I'm going to continue my search around this village one final time. If nothing good shows up, I'll just move on to another village."

"Sounds good. But you promised this village so much. Seeing that the Fire Nation isn't in control anymore, make tomorrow the last day running this place. We'll leave after that." The man inside the carriage said. Shin De nodded and before the ostrich horse pulled the carriage off, Shin De picked up a crate holding beverages inside.

Sokka rubbed his eyes and hopped out of the bush. Did he just hear and see what he just saw and heard? He stepped out of the bush and headed in Shin De's direction.

Shin De turned and once he saw Sokka, his irritated face turned into a happy one. "Hello there, boy. You're one of the Avatar's friends, right? How long were you here?"

"Just got here." Sokka lied. "Heard you needed help with the crates." He picked one up.

"Why that's very nice of you," Shin De said. He headed for the factory while Sokka followed him. "This world needs more people like you…"

"Lee," Sokka lied again. When Shin De turned his face, Sokka groaned. He didn't know how to break out the news to his friends and the villagers that their savior had ulterior motives.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Shin De returned onto the stage and placed the crates down. Aang was demonstrating some cool airbending moves now. "Everybody, help yourselves to some good drinks!" Many of the villagers ran onto stage and took out some of the beer bottles. Sokka, however, once he finished placing the crates down, left the mess hall, which was the center of entertainment. He knew that he couldn't break out the news on the stage, for no one, not even Aang and Toph would believe him. If he did so, he would only reveal to Shin De that he knew his secret.

Sokka decided that he needed evidence, so he headed for Shin De's office building. Upon entering the room he found the office in disarray. There were scrolls and parchments lying everywhere. He took out some spark stones from his pocket and lit the candle on the desk. With more light in the room, he could easily see a paper on the table. He picked it up, and on it was a several marks. Seven were circles scattered across the Earth Kingdom, and one of them was an _X_ on the peninsula to the north of Kyoshi Island. There was also a line connecting the two. Sokka scratched his head. He picked up the map and stuffed it into his pocket. He looked around and saw a banner with a green-and-gray mantis. Sokka opened the drawers, and a bunch more of scrolls popped out. One struck his eyes, since it had a huge list of names and markings on it. It was a list of some sort. Upon hearing that someone was heading for the office, he quickly rolled up the list, stuffed it in his pocket and slid out of the room.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Sokka ran back into the mess hall and noticed that Shin De had left. He ran up to Aang and Toph and said, "We have a serious problem. This Shin De man is a fake. He has other plans."

Aang was confused. "What do you mean by the fact that he's a fake?"

"He's not here to help out the villagers. He's here in search of something." Sokka replied. "He's been feigning kindness in return for…"

"For?" Toph asked.

"I don't know, but he's up to something!" Sokka whispered.

"Come on, Sokka," Toph said. "Give it a rest. You heard him. He's here to help out. He even brought these people drinks and refreshments."

"But he's faking it!" Sokka replied.

"So you think that he's been faking for all of the previous years?" Toph asked. "He's quite calculating then," She said, sarcastically, not believing Sokka's argument.

"But look at what I found!" Sokka handed out the list and the map to the two.

"So what about these?" Aang asked. "None of them explicitly states that Shin De is planning to do some horrible act."

"I know these aren't," Sokka said, "But I heard him. I swear I wasn't high or anything!"

"He wouldn't do such a thing," Toph said. "That would be utterly evil, destroying the hopes of this village!"

"You still don't believe me?" Sokka asked. "Well. You know what to do then."

"What, Snoozles?"

"Read my heart. See whether I'm lying or not. You know the protocol."

Toph hated it when Sokka said this. She didn't hate him because of the argument, but because he was the only person whose heart she couldn't read. Every time she tried, she would get all flustered and it would all of a sudden become heard for her to tell whose heartbeat was racing—hers or his—or whether they were racing at all.

"I'm not going to," Toph said, crossing her arms. "I know you're messing around."

Sokka slapped his forehead. "Fine, then! Do I have to do everything myself?" He stormed off from the gang.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_The next day: Sokka wakes up extra early in the morning to go visit the villagers and gather information. Aang and Toph are still asleep at there own campsite outside the village._

Early the next day, after all of the villagers had returned to their respective homes, Sokka decided to further his investigation. He realized that the items on the lists were names of several of the villagers, so the first thing he did was to visit every villager's house. He knocked on each of their gates and inquired what the names meant.

"Hello, Miss." Sokka said to a lady who had just opened the door. "Do you know any of these names?" He pointed to his list and showed the lady all of the names that had been starred.

The lady read the names. "Tyko, Ho Chi, Minh…" She stopped reading. "Yes, I do know all of those names. They happen to all be children who auditioned to Shin De to be sent off to an academy."

Sokka nodded. "How about these?" He was referring to those that were crossed out. "Oh, those kids didn't make it."

"Didn't make the academy? Because they weren't smart enough?"

"No." The lady shook her head. "Because they weren't good enough earthbenders."

"Weren't good enough earthbenders?" Then it struck Sokka. Shin De stayed in this village not only to work for the Fire Nation, but also to search for earthbending children. _That was the talent he was referring to--earthbending talent._ He thanked the lady, who shut the door. Sokka walked onto the side of the road and sat down on a rock. He asked himself, "Why would he need earthbenders?" Though he didn't know the answer, he knew a way he could find out.

Sokka ran up to Toph, who was still sleeping. As he got close, though, Toph woke up. "You're awake at this hour, Snoozles?" she asked groggily. "Now I've felt everything."

"I now why he's here now," Sokka said, standing right in front of Toph.

"You and your theory, still, huh? I'm listening." Toph rubbed her eyes.

"He's recruiting earthbending children for some reason, but I don't know what." Sokka scratched his head, pondering.

"He's sending them to academies and schools for better education. We all know that."

"No he isn't, he's lying!"

"Really? You still don't have proof." Toph challenged.

"But we have a way to find out…" Sokka said.

"I know. You want me to hand myself over to him." Toph finished the sentence. "I'll see what's happening."

"Exactly."

"On one condition. We make a bet." Toph was always about bets and scams. "If you actually send me on a wild goose chase, you'll have to train with me the next time Aang and I do some earthbending practice."

"Fine," Sokka agreed. "And if I'm correct, you'll have to…" He thought for awhile but finally had a good idea. "You'll have to be my butler! Or my servant!" Sokka asked. He remembered how yesterday Toph was abusing her power during their plan to rescue Shin De.

"No problem," Toph replied. Though she detested the idea of serving someone, she was very confident that she would win the bet.

Sokka grabbed Toph's arm. "So the factory opens at noon. We still have three hours till then. I hear that he's holding auditions for the children at the factory. Why don't you go there and give him a show."

Toph nodded. She was already imagining what training with Sokka, a non-bender would be like. She let out a small chuckle.

Sokka continued his explanation. "And if you get accepted and sent out of the village and find out what Shin De is truly up to, just give me a signal. Any good signal or trail of earth would be fine. As long as I know where you are and what Shin De is planning to do with you."

"All right," Toph said, rubbing her hands. Let's get this bet started.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Toph walked into the factory, which hadn't opened for work yet, and noticed that the auditions had already begun. Shin De was testing a child who stood on a mat in front of him. Toph listened and felt what was going on. Meanwhile, Sokka is at the camp, peering through his telescope and studying the actions outside the main factory building. Other than the fact that Toph went in, nothing much happened.

"What's your name son?" Shin De asked as he raised his brush. He was talking to a small boy younger than Toph.

"Miro." The boy shyly replied. He was rubbing the sole of his boot on the ground.

"That's a nice name for a healthy young rascal like you. Show me what you can do and I'll see if I can arrange something special for you." Shin De winked.

Miro picked up a rock and threw it into the air and suspended it with his earthbending abilities.

"Not bad. I see you've mastered the basics." He continued writing with his brush. "Can you do anything else? He placed a slab of stone in front of the boy. Move this."

Miro pushed it, but fell over in the process.

Shin De laughed. "Nice try, sport." He bit the tip of his brush. He was clearly dissatisfied by Miro's lack of technique.

Miro stood up. "My mom wants me to go to a school in Ba Sing Se. She says I have what it takes."

Shin De rolled his eyes. _No you certainly don't_. _Why is this village dry of talent?_ He was about to roll up his scrolls and leave, but Toph burst through the doors.

Shin De tried to hide his disappointment with the audition. "Why hello there, little girl. Weren't you with the Avatar?" He recalled how Toph was the one who had saved him from the Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Forces (EKPWRF).

"Yes I am," Toph said. "I'm here to show you that I have what it takes to be the number one earth bender in the world."

"Really?" Shin De said, smiling. He wasn't feigning his smile. If this girl was as powerful as she claimed to be, it would be his big break. "Show me what you've got. Suspend this rock in the air." He threw it at Toph's direction.

She caught it in the air with her earthbending. "Suspend it? I'll show you so much more." She swung it around like a yo-yo.

"Amazing," Shin De said, writing down several notes on a scroll. "How old are you?"

"Twelve," Toph said.

He nodded and picked up an earth slab. "Now I want you to shove this slab a few feet."

Toph nodded, but instead of shoving it, she carved it into a figure of a statue of herself. Or at least what she thought she looked like.

Shin De was astounded. "Is there anything else you can do?"

"Well," Toph said, "you've seen me do this when I rescued you." She took a big iron bar and twisted it painlessly. "I call it metal-bending."

"You're a genius! A prodigy! How come I've never met you before?" He reached around for a list he made to see whether Toph's name was on it. However, he realized that he misplaced it.

Toph shrugged. "I know I'm a prodigy. I get that all the time."

"How about I send you to one of the greatest Earth Kingdom School in the entire world?"

Toph nodded. "That be fine by me." She then raised his head to face him. "That is where you are sending me right? A school?"

Shin De laughed. _I've finally found someone who can really earthbend_, he thought, smiling devilishly.

Toph laughed, too. _You're a real Joker, Snoozles_, she thought. Too bad she couldn't see the ominous sign of a smile.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Sokka kept a lookout at the factory, but only saw one carriage leave there. Because Toph didn't do any earthbending or signal him at all, he suspected that the carriage didn't carry her in it and was unrelated to Shin De and his plans. By the time the sun was fairly high into the sky, he felt that something was off. After around two hours, Toph still hadn't responded to him. He began running toward the factory to check up and see what she was up to. As he approached it, the factory blew up.

The explosion was huge and sent vibrations all the way to the village. Aang woke up on Appa and scanned his surroundings to see what had happened. He noticed that the factory was on fire and ran there.

Aang found Sokka near the entrance and asked what had happened.

"What do you think happened?" Sokka asked angrily. "The factory blew up!" Sokka then realized that Shin De must have done so in order to destroy all of the evidence in his office and prevent anyone else from tracking his crimes. He also realized that the destruction of the factory meant that Shin De must have left with Toph already. Toph was definitely in that carriage that passed by earlier, but why didn't she send him a signal? It was really strange, really, since not even prison bars could hold her.

"The factory blew up?" Aang was startled already, but only then did he realized how serious the situation was. He was full awake in an instant. "We have to do something!"

"You think? We're lucky that the villagers haven't reported for work yet. You do your fancy firebending and waterbending stuff to try and stop the fire from going wild and burning a portion of land off the Earth Kingdom. Meanwhile, I'll run and check inside."

"You're going inside? It's dangerous!" Aang said.

"I have to, though," Sokka solemnly responded.

"Why?"

"Because people might be inside."

Aang nodded. He rode his airscooter around the factory and began digging a huge trench with earthbending to prevent the fire from spreading across the grass and into the village.

Next, he summoned huge mounds of dirt and tried to cover the fire but it wasn't enough to but the bigger flames out.

Some of the villagers ran up to him and asked what had happened to the factory. "There's no time for explanation, right now. Your precious factory owner, Shin De, must have blown up the factory. I need water in order to put this fire out. Can any of you guys point me to a source of water?" Aang continued to shove piles and piles of dirt all around the factory, but it couldn't stop the fire, which was growing too strong. He hoped that Sokka was all right.

One man was about to point out the direction to a river, but another put that man's hand down. He asked Aang, "What do you mean it was Shin De? He would never do something like this! He promised us an age of prosperity. And beside, this is his factory!"

Aang, annoyed by the village's stubborness and narrow-mindedness, angrily shouted back, "Can we stop debating whether Shin De did this or not? I'm the Avatar, and I need your help right now. If this fire isn't stopped, who knows what will happen to your little village? Forget an age of prosperity, your homes and basic standards of living will all be wiped out!"

The man was about to protest, but another quited him down, "Shut up! Listen to the Avatar for once. We don't know whether Shin De did it or not, but there's one thing for sure, we can trust the Avatar! He helped us even when we didn't ask for his help." He pointed northeast and told Aang that a river was there.

Aang nodded and ran off. He returned riding on a wave and poured the water all over the factory. He kept on waterbending over the factory until all of the flames went out. He ran into the rubble to search for Sokka, who was lying on the ground all dripping wet.

"Did you find anyone?" Aang asked.

Sokka shook his head. "No," he said flatly.

Aang sighed. He was glad that no one got hurt. Sokka got onto a stone and directed himself at the congregation, which included most of the villagers there. He spoke as he wringed his clothes.

"I know this may be hard for you to accept, but your Shin De idol, was actually a con man. He deceived you all." The crowd all booed at Sokka.

"I'm serious. Even the Avatar here believes so," Sokka argued. "Your children… The earthbenders. He kidnapped them all."

"Liar!" One of them shouted. "He's sending them to a better school that we cannot afford!"

Another one shouted, "Mines been studing for a year already! I bet he's a great earthbender now!"

"Quiet down!" Sokka said, waving his hands around. He couldn't speak under all the noise the crowd was emitting. He took out a piece of paper. "Inside the burning factory just now, I found this. It's a letter from his friend. From the details of the letter, it says how they need more earthbenders to dig a tunnel. Now I don't know what the plan is, but I know that your children have likely been taken to dig this tunnel." He handed the letter to one of the villagers, who passed the note around.

"It's true," A man holding the letter said. "It has some of Shin De's symbol or emblem on it--the mantis. Furthermore, his handwriting matches." Upon discovering that all of their children have been taken, the parents of the villages all shrieked and screamed.

Sokka once again signaled them to calm down. Aang jumped onto a rock. As the Avatar, his duty was to the world, and this village needed his help right now. "Don't worry everyone. We'll handle this situation. We'll go search for Shin De and recover your children." He turned to Sokka. "You do know where he went, right?"

Sokka shook his head, but then his face lit up. "They're digging a tunnel..." he said to himself. He took out a map, and scanned it. Though he was happy that he found out where the location was, his mouth hit the floor. "Oh, no." He said solemnly.

Aang whispered to Sokka, "What's wrong?"

"Look," he said, pointing to the cross marked on the Southern Peninsula. "That's where they're taking them."

Aang sighed. "I thought that by your 'oh, no,' this situation would be really, really, bad. Thank god it isn't."

Sokka shook his head. "But look at this line." It joined the peninsula to an island, Kyoshi Island. "That's the tunnel. They're digging it and heading for Kyoshi Island."

"They're planning a secret invasion onto Kyoshi Island?" He was aghast. He finally understood Sokka's shock and sadness. This certainly was bad news.

"That's what I think, at least," Sokka replied.

"Then we have to hurry on out of here. We need all the time we can get to stop them!"

Aang ran for Appa while Sokka made last reassurances to the villagers.

* * *

Aang hopped onto Appa and Sokka followed suit. He grabbed the reins and shouted, "Let's go!" But when he turned to check, he finally noticed, after all the time he was awake, that Toph was missing.

"Where's Toph?" Aang asked.

Sokka only shook his head in despair. "She's been captured by Shin De, too."

Aang's eyes widened in horror of the avalanche of bad news that came by this morning. Sokka only bowed his head, sad that it was his fault, his betting with Toph, that resulted to the loss of one of his closest friends.

_Fades to white._

* * *

Note: So Episode 4, "Shin De's List," is over, and Shin De, with his cohorts are planning a surprise invasion or attack on Kyoshi Island, Suki's hometown... It is up to Aang and Sokka to stop the invasion and rescue Toph. The story will continue immediately in the next part/episode, "The Tunnel, the Tomb, and the Island," which will be filled with a lot of action. Questions regarding the previous and powerful Avatar Liang-Shek will be revealed.

If there's anything unclear, please tell me and I will revise any chapter as long as it makes the story flow nicer or better, so once again, reviews are highly appreciated.

One of the reviewers asked what happened to Suki. You'll find out in the next chapter, so please tune in!

I hope you enjoyed this act and please review!


	13. Tunnels, Tombs, and Islands, Act 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Here's the episode immediately following Chapter 4: Shin De's List. It's part two.

**Summary of the previous episode:**

Act 1: Aang, Sokka, and Toph travel to an Earth Kingdom village in need of food and rest. The villagers, however, do not appreciate the Avatar's saving the world. With the help of a wise old man, they find out it is because the village's hero, a Fire Nation factory owner by the name of Shin De, brought culture and life to their village. Now becuse of the Earth Kingdom's rise to power, Shin De has been captured by Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Forces.

Act 2: Sokka and Toph manage to rescue Shin De from the camp using disguises and poisoned tea.

Act 3: Sokka the only one who doubts Shin De's motive, finds out that Shin De is actually a con man who lied to the villagers about sending their children to earthbending schools. Rather, he is exploiting them to help him dig a tunnel at the Southern Peninsula to Kyoshi Island. When Sokka tries to convince Toph, Toph decides to pose as an earthbending kid in need of going to school. She gets captured. Shin De blows up the factory and Sokka goes into the factory in hopes of rescuing Toph and any other villagers who were unlucky enough to be at the explosion. Aang puts out the fire. He and Sokka head off for the Southern Peninsula to stop Shin De, rescue Toph, and return the children to their respective villages.

**The setting:** (Just to clear things up.) The location is the Southern Peninsula of the Earth Kingdom, a few miles off of Kyoshi Island. (Recall Avatar Day... the location is around that town, but to the north a bit.)

* * *

Voiceover:

Katara:

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air.  
Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.  
Only the Avatar, master of all Four Elements, could stop them. After a hundred years have passed, my brother and I found a new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang, who returned to end the Fire Nation's conquest and return peace to the nations._

_But now, we face a new threat...the balance and harmony we sought so hard to restore is on the brink of ruin unless Aang restores airbending to the world. And although his elemental bending is great and his spirit is strong, he has a lot to learn before he can fulfill his duty. But I believe... Aang can save the world._

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 5:**

**The Tunnel, the Tomb, and the Island**

...

"This is one of the thousand different portraits of the great Avatar Liang-Shek. Legend says that he is hiding something at the other end of the tunnel, and I'm going to find out his secret--his secret to immortality."

-Shin De, Con Artist/Insurgent Leader

...

**The Clock's Countdown: 23 Days left.**

Act 1:

Toph woke up and rubbed her forehead, which hurt from the whack she received earlier back at the factory near the village. "What's going on?" She asked. "Am I at an Earthbending Academy?" She was held by the chains and she shook them violently, hoping to break them off. Her actions, however, were no use.

"I see that you've woken up." It was the voice of the factory owner she and Aang had trusted earlier. The factory owner who was believed at first to be kind and generous and helped the Earth Kingdom villagers. There was something really wrong with his voice though. He sounded more menacing than friendly. "Don't bother earthbending," he said. She noticed all of the earth around her, but she couldn't bend any at all. "You've been drugged. For the next hour, you won't be able to bend or do any of your fancy moves." Shin De smiled devilishly.

"Drugged?" Toph asked. She couldn't feel the vibrations of the floor as easily and it was tough to see with her feet. "Schools don't do this!"

"They don't." Shin De snickered. "You're not in an academy. You're in the Steel-Jade Mantises' fortress. When I saw you a day ago at my factory, I thought it was a miracle. The heavens had finally delivered a cute and powerful earthbender to me..."

_Cute? What is with this guy? Does he like little girls?_ Toph thought.

Shin De continued. "For weeks I've been working on digging a tunnel through the sea, but with all of the weak children I've recruited, it has been taking me several weeks by now. With your skill, you're going to help me finish what I started by the next day." He signalled some guards to take Toph out of the room and into the tunnel.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_The guards take Toph deep into the tunnel where she meets the other children and a big bully. Around an hour has passed, and the drug that prevented Toph from bending has worn off.  
_

They threw Toph into the deepest end of the tunnel.

"Get to work, little girl," one of them hissed. "The leader is expecting a lot from you, so you better make good use of your time." They turned, and as they were about to leave, another one of them said, "Don't try anything foolish, we'll be checking up on you very soon." He injected her with a syringe, which helped release the blocks of energy flow, though it would have worn off sooner or later by itself. She could earthbend once again. "Remember, we can take it away just as easily."

Toph dusted her new prison coat. One boy approached her and extended his hand. "Hey, I'm Tyko," he said.

"Name's Toph," she replied. However, she didn't return the shake. Rather, she held her palm open to the children in the tunnel. They had been tricked and captured by Shin De also to dig the tunnel. They're skill, however, wasn't close to Toph's at all. "You guys stay out of the way. This is my spot, and I don't want any of you guys crowding in. Including you Tyko."

"Hey, if there's anyone to make the shots around here, it's me." A big boy walked in front of Toph. "No one gets to make orders around here except for me." He pointed to himself at the chest.

"Really? Only you make the orders, Bully No Brain?" Toph said. "Last time I checked, you were probably getting beaten up badly and commanded by some of the firebenders around here." She laughed.

Bully No Brain clenched his fist, cracking his knuckles and preparing to punch Toph.

"You'd punch a little blind girl?" Toph asked, feigning fright. "That's so mean!"

"Mean, smean. No one here cares," Bully Brain laughed. "The fact that you're small and blind only makes the beating up easier!" Upon hearing this, all of the little kids backed off, scared to get into Bully No Brain's way.

"Now you're in trouble," Tyko shouted. "You're going to get so bruised that you'll be sent to the herbalist's lab where you'll be treated by Ru Fei."

"Ru Fei?" Toph asked. "Who's he?"

Tyko gave an impression of an old and insane man, slouching himself around the room, reminding her of King Bumi. "He's the herbalist around here. If you're hurt or crazy, he'll come up with a drug for you, and let me tell you, it's not pleasant." He pointed to another boy whose skin was blue. "Last week he tried to cure that boy over there of the 'sad syndrome,' as he called it. It only made his skin more blue, however."

Tyko was right. Meeting Ru Fei definitely was a bad idea. He was likely the one who gave her the drug that prevented her to earthbend earlier back at the village.

Bully No Brain pounded his fists and began to attack Toph who dodged the attack easily. She stepped behind him and shoved him down. Bully No Brain got up, and embarrassed that he, a boy of much larger stature was losing, ran up to jump on Toph again. She summoned a pillar beneath him and hit him square in the belly. He groaned in pain and admitted defeat. The kids all cheered when the bully was knocked over. They were even more stupefied by Toph's advance earthbending attack.

"Wow, Toph!" Tyko shouted. "Where'd you learn that maneuver?"

She shrugged. "Learnt it myself."

There were a bunch of _ooh_'s and _ah_'s that chorused through the tunnel.

"Think you can teach us, Toph?" Tyko asked.

"Sure. I've got nothing else to do." She pointed to the bully who was still rolling around on the floor. "Unless one of you guys want to challenge me to a fight."

They all shook their heads and she assembled each of the children in a line and began inspecting their stances.

"Your stances are flimsy," she said, walking up to one and pushing him over. "Widen your stance. Everyone else, follow along." Toph commanded. The children all widened the distance between their legs. "Good." She said as she walked around. "This way, your stance is much firmer, and when you earthbend the other rocks, you won't slide backwards. Try it out."

Tyko shot his fist at one of the tunnel walls, and indeed the firemer stance worked. He didn't fall off with every piece of rock he chucked of the wall. "Wow, this is awesome."

"Of course it does," Toph replied. "You're being taught by one of the greatest earthbenders in the world. I've even taught the Avatar earthbending."

"You taught the Avatar?" All of the children in the tunnel were intrigued. "So you can do all of those earthbending moves he can?"

"Of course," Toph said. "Watch. I'll reconstruct a miniature version of Ba Sing Se in the ground. Clear out of the way." The kids walked to form a circle. Toph stomped her feet on the floor and miniature buildings and people surfaced.

The kids all yelled and hollered. "Woo! Go Toph!" One of the screamed. Another was amazed at the detail and asked if that was really what the impregnable Earth Kingdom capital looked like.

However, the noise that they all created attracted so much attention that a guard walked into the tunnel. "What are you imbeciles yelling about? You better get back to digging that tunnel!" He bellowed. He began walking down the tunnel and his echoes grew louder and louder.

Panicking, the children all returned to their positions. Toph, though, remained steadfast. "What are you doing?" Tyko shouted. "Do you want to get sent to that whack-job herbalist for not doing your job or beating up that boy?"

Toph shook her head. "I have a better alternative. I'm going to blast myself out of here." She began to earthbend the ceiling of the tunnel, ripping it apart, but as she did so, water began spraying in. Toph was dumbfounded. _Water?_ Though she didn't know where she was, the tunnel she was digging must have been underwater. She hated water and refused to escape upward. She clogged the hole she made with earth. An alternative would be to continue to dig the tunnel, but she also refused to help her captors by speeding up the tunnel digging. Her only option was to go downward, but even that was difficult, since the earth was tremendously hard because they were very deep underground. Toph was trapped.

The guard walked into the end of the children and found Toph acting out of order. "What are you doing, little girl? The leader expects that with you, the tunnel can be completed by the next day!"

"There's no way I'm going to work for the likes of you!" She summoned a huge dust cloud covering everywhere in the tunnel and ran in the opposite direction of the digging, hoping to find a way out of the fortress.

At the tunnel entrance where the dust cleared, though, she met Ru Fei, who grinned wickedly. "Disobedient girl. Don't think you can escape from us!" He whipped out a blowpipe and hit Toph with a dart, knocking her out.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Sokka, Aang, Appa, and Momo are hiding in a forest on a hill at the edge of the fortress. Sokka and Aang are inside the leaves of a tree looking with a telescope._

Sokka and Aang had followed the map they found in the factory. Sokka realized that the _X_ marked the fortress while the other marks were other Fire Nation factories that recruited children. All of the routes from several different factories lead to one spot: the fortress ahead of them. Sokka, on a very high tree in a forest on a hill, peered through a telescope and could see the high walls of the fortress and most of the actions that were going on.

"Hey Aang," he said. "They definitely do have Toph around here. I see an old man leading her out of a big hole and into a building."

"That hole must be the tunnel to Kyoshi Island." Aang took the telescope to get a look also. "They're acting according to their plan. How long do you think we have before the tunnel reaches the island?"

"Don't know," Sokka replied. "But we have to act fast."

"Act fast? We should just run in take them on right now."

Sokka shook his head. "There are firebenders prowling the fortress everywhere. The two of us won't be enough to save Toph. Furthermore, we also need to save all of the children."

The situation was looking grim, but Sokka wasn't worried. He turned to Aang. "Don't worry. All we need is an elite team. And I know where I can get one…" He turned his telescope around and looked at the small speck of an island at the horizon.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_For her attempt to escape, Toph is taken into the herbalist's lab, where she is drugged again to prevent eartbending._

There was another man in the room, and his gait, the rhythm of his footsteps was familiar. "It's you." Toph said to Shin De.

Shin De laughed at Toph's audacity. He was imagining how Toph would feel after he shut her up, and it gave him sensations of happiness that flowed through his body.

"I heard that you were quite wild back there in the tunnel. And it has only been one hour since you started working." Shin De laughed. He then stopped and wagged his finger at Toph. "You're here to dig for me and you'll do what I say."

"Why should I listen to you?" Toph sneered. "You're just another manipulating yet powerless leader. You can't dig this tunnel by yourself, and you are getting innocent little children to

Shin De knocked over a table, now angry. He didn't wanted to be categorized in the group of cliched leaders. "You think I'm weak huh? With two of his fists, his shot flames out. Toph could feel the heat of the flames. They were immensely hot for red flames. "I didn't become the leader of the Steel-Jade Mantises because of my good looks..." He chuckled at his own joke. Finally, he calmed down, and berated Toph.

"You don't know how much I've planned for this day, planning my secret project step by step. Hiding my kidnappings from the Fire Nation… Capturing all of these kids…Fending off all of the Earth Kingdom's Post-War Restoration Forces…Now that the Fire Nation has fallen, I had to hid myself from the Earth Kingdom, and I got caught somewhere near the village. Lucky for me, you and the Avatar were there to rescue me."

"You're not with the Fire Nation?" Toph asked. He was a factory owner after all, so she expected him to.

"The Fire Nation? They're fools. Though I work for them, my loyalty is myself first, my rebel group second. The Fire Nation is seeking immortality through fame and control. In the end, they only incurred numerous losses. We're after something greater: true immortality."

This man was nuts. _True immortality? Not even the Avatars are immortal. _Toph thought. She finally realized that the guards back at the EKPWRF camp were telling the truth: Shin De really was an insurgent leader...or something along the lines of that.

"Do you know who this is?" Toph couldn't see the portrait he was pointing at or feel his movements because of the drug. "This is one of the thousand different portraits of the great Avatar Liang-Shek. Many people believe that he doesn't exist. That he is a figment of a crazy troubadour's imagination, created for money's sake. But not me. Ever since the war started, I've positioned several Fire Nation factories and captured earthbending children in an effort to dig a tunnel. Legend says that he is hiding something at the other end of the tunnel, and I'm going to find out his secret--his secret to immortality. And you are the last key to the puzzle. You have the earthbending abilities to take me there. So I expect you to behave from now on and dig this tunnel like I tell you to."

"I am not taking orders from a man like you."

"Ru Fei!" Shin De shouted.

The Herbalist walked into the room and took out a blowpipe. Shin De whispered into Toph's ear. "I can burn you, but this man is much different. He's a whackjob. He has all kinds of poisons and serums. He'll drive you insane."

Toph shut her eyes and prepared herself for the worst.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Sokka and Aang are flying over the sea between the peninsula and Kyoshi Island on Appa._

Sokka and Aang recalled the location of the four dots that Avatar Liang-Shek had left on his sacred piece of paper. According to the map, the sea they were flying over was very important because it was one of the locations marked on Liang Shek's paper. Little did they know that Shin De was after the same thing.

Aang turned his head behind him and asked Sokka, "So Avatar Liang-Shek is hiding a secret in the sea. Do you think the Unagi has to do with this?"

Sokka thought for a moment. "I don't think this is the answer. It would be too difficult to preserve or contrust anything under the sea that would last for generations." Then it hit him. "Kyoshi Island! That's the answer."

Aang was puzzled. "Look!" Sokka said, pointing onto the map. "The mark is on the sea south of the peninsula and north of the island. However, during the time Avatar Liang-Shek existed…"

"Kyoshi Island was still attached to the peninsula!" Aang shouted. He understood what Sokka meant. The secret that Liang-Shek was hiding is on Kyoshi Island. He pulled Appa's reins and they went at full speed toward the Kyoshi Island.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_At Kyoshi Island..._

Appa flew at full speed over the tall Kyoshi statue and Sokka could see the warriors down there in formation. They were practicing on several new defenses. Some of them were also sparring. They looked up into the sky and saw the Avatar and his friend.

After landing on the coast of the island, Sokka ran up to Suki and they hugged. "Wow, you got back a lot sooner than I expected," she said. She had left Ba Sing Se around two weeks ago to return to the warriors. She hadn't expected Sokka for another month when they were going to visit the Fire Nation capital again. Aang got off to search the island for any clues regarding Liang-Shek's history or location.

Suki wasn't the only Kyoshi Warrior who was happy about Sokka's arrival. He saw another girl, who did a few somersaults and flips. "Hey, Cutie!" She said. It was Ty Lee. Sokka got out of the embrace with Suki and scratched his head. It was definitely awkward greeting his former enemy. "Hey…uh… Ty Lee."

"No hug for me?" She asked pouting, opening her arms for a hug.

"Um… no, sorry." Sokka turned serious. "We're on a mission right now. We think someone might be planning to attack Kyoshi Island."

"Attacking our island?" Suki asked in disbelief. "That's impossible!"

No it's not. He pointed to the horizon across the sea. "There are firebenders on the other end… at the peninsula."

"Firebenders?" Suki asked. "But we beat the Fire Nation in the war. They couldn't possibly be launching an attack so soon."

"They're firebenders, but not Fire Nation." Sokka replied. He understood that anybody would be confused right now. "According to my intel, they're a rebel group called the Steel-Jade Mantises." He unrolled a scroll that had the insignia of a gray and green mantis--the same insignia Sokka found while he searched the factory office. "I don't know the purpose of their attack, though."

Ty Lee stood up and stared into the sky. "I don't see any boats or airships heading our way!"

"They don't have the manpower to use those. With no access of airships or boats, they're planning on tunneling their way through."

"Tunneling? That's crazy! We have a wide expanse of sea between us and the peninsula. It'll take weeks to reach here."

"They've been doing it for some time already, so I'm betting they're close to completion. We'll have to act fast in order to stop their attacks." Sokka rolled up the scroll and got up. "They also have Toph and a bunch of children captured inside the fortress. They're the earthbenders who are in charge of digging the tunnel."

"Children earthbending?" Suki was astounded. "How old?"

"About ten years old. That range of age."

"That's so wrong!" Suki said.

"Aang and I were going to bust them free earlier ago, but we're not powerful enough to handle them all." Sokka said.

"That's why you've come to us, right? You'll need our help. I'll go rally up the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors." She ran off in the direction of the village.

Aang returned before Suki did. "I checked, Sokka. I searched for Avatar Liang-Shek's secret. I earthbended a hole underneath the main plaza and found a gate. It even had his special insignia of a dragon, one that matches the canister you showed me... But when I opened the gate, I realized that there was nothing below! No empty chamber...just dirt. Hard earth."

Sokka was really puzzled. Not only was Avatar Liang-Shek mysterious, he was also clever. His remaining clues were tough to solve, and they didn't even lead to a clear result. They however decided to leave first and attack the fortress.

* * *

_Scene switches_

"You won't get away with this!" Toph shouted to Shin De. She was laughing uncontrollably because of the laughing drug the herbalist had given to her. "Ha-ha...Though I might now be able to escape, I'm sure my friends will come and rescue me! Ho-ha-ha..."

"Sokka?" He realized that Toph was referring to Lee, the alias Sokka had assigned himself. "You mean your water tribe friend?" Shin De asked. He walked to the door and before he left, he said, "Don't keep your hopes so high. I blew up the factory. I heard from one of my spies that he ran into the fire trying to save villagers that could have been in the explosion. I also heard that he was looking for you in there. He's dead, now, burned to a crisp."

_Sokka died?_ Toph couldn't believe it. "Snoozles... Don't tell me this is true...ha-ha..." Though the news was immensely sad, she still couldn't stop laughing. Then the tears began flowing down her eyes. They weren't tears of laugher...but tears of despair. It was really ironic how Sokka was the only one who doubted Shin De's motives yet he was the one who was killed. "I'm so sorry Sokka," Toph blurted out quietly. "I'm so sorry I didn't trust you..." It was amazing. Her emotions of sadness and guilt were so powerful that it completely over-rode all of drug's powers. She had completely stopped laughing now.

It didn't matter how quiet she spoke, for there was no one to hear, or let alone save her. She lowered her head. Not only was the world dark to her because she couldn't see, but her future was dark knowing that one of her closest friends had died trying to protect her...

_Fades to black._

* * *

Note: Stay tuned because in the next chapter to find out how Sokka and his elite team raid the fortress. There'll be huge Thanks for reading and plase review.


	14. Tunnels, Tombs, and Islands, Act 2

Note: I do not own Avatar.

Here is probably the longest act I have written so far for my version of "Book 4: Air." It is an action galore. It may be hard to follow, but I tried to make it the best I could make it.

**Summary of previous act:** Sokka and Aang need to invade a fortress run by the Steel-Jade Mantises, a Fire Nation rebel group, to prevent an invasion, save Toph, and free children. They decide to enlist the help of the Kyoshi Warriors and are now planning an attack.

So Suki, Ty Lee, and the Kyoshi Warriors are joining up with Team Aang... I hope you enjoy reading and please review!

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 5:**

**The Tunnel, the Tomb, and the Island**

...

"It was my fault that she got into this mess. If it is anyone's responsibility to save her, it has to be mine."

-Sokka, on Toph's capture

...

Act 2:

_Sokka, Aang, Suki, Ty Lee, and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors have taken Appa and landed in the forest just off the edge of the Steel-Jade Mantis's Fortress and are now discussing the plan for the raid._

Sokka pulled Suki's sword out of its sheath and began drawing on the floor. "All right guys, pay attention. We're going to prepare a tiny raid, and since our numbers are so few, there will be very little room for error." They all kneeled and looked at the huge rectangle he drew in the dirt.

"This is the fortress wall. I think that's obvious enough." Sokka said to everyone. "Last time I checked, they were about the height of these trees." He pointed to one of them the forest, which was about fourty feet high. "Which is actually quite tall, meaning that airbending out of the question. After all," he turned to Aang, "You're the only one who can do so and you can't carry us all in with that method."

"So how will we get in?" Aang asked. "We'll ride Appa in?"

Appa groaned. He didn't like the fact that he would have to carry one Avatar, a boy, and eight Kyoshi warriors again. He wasn't the only one who disagreed with Aang's suggestion.

"Too many firebenders." Sokka said. "We're not going to be able to get close enough to land anywhere within."

"And," Suki added, "Appa hates fire." She recalled last time when she had to protect the flying bison from Azula and her henchmen.

"So no airbending or flying…" Ty Lee said, rubbing her chin. "That leaves only one thing…Acrobatics…"

"Exactly," Sokka said, but then he realized that "acrobatics" wasn't what he had in mind at all. "Wait, not acrobatics!" He said flailing his arms.

"Why not? I'll just run my way up the wall!" Ty Lee happily replied.

"What about everyone else, though?" Sokka gestured to the other Kyoshi Warriors.

"Oh… right…" Ty Lee said embarrassingly. "We're in quite a pickle, then, aren't we?"

"Actually, on the contrary." Sokka said. "We'll use earthbending." Sokka replied. It was a risky decision to make, since once again, Aang was the only earthbender in the group without Toph.

Aang stood up to take a look at the fortress. "That's right! Why didn't we think of this earlier! I'll just do a huge chop and break down the walls of the fortress!"

Everyone thought that Aang's plan was a good one. Everyone but Sokka, who shook his head. "Though the walls are made of earth, we cannot just bust our way through."

"Why not?" Aang asked, and he waved his arms and suspended a rock in the air, using his earthbending. "Walls of earth and earthbending. If we put two and two together…"

"It's not that easy because the Steel-Jade Mantises are very crafty. They're firebenders in the Earth Kingdom. You put two and two together Aang." When he noticed that Aang hadn't caught on yet, he continued. "Of course they made sure that the fortress could stand against the earthbenders."

Sokka's line piqued everyone's interest, for he made a seemingly oxymoronic statement on how a wall of earth could withstand the power of earthbending.

"While I was scouting the EKPWRF's campsite…"

"The what now?" Suki asked. Sokka had just spit out a bunch of random characters.

"The Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Forces." Aang replied. "They're duty is to restore the colonies back to their former glory and drive the Fire Nation out. They were sent from Ba Sing Se, which stations their headquarters."

"Yes." Sokka said. "And the forces are composed of fairly skilled earthbenders. I overheard one of them, who said that only a few days ago they held an overnight siege on this fortress. The siege failed, apparently because they couldn't break through the walls, meaning that…"

"They're made of wood?" Ty Lee asked.

Sokka slapped his head. "That would be a step back in technology! One tiny flame could break down the entire fortress then! Besides, I already said that they're made of earth!" Ty Lee backed a few steps. She was surprised by Sokka's outburst. Nevertheless, she sighed. _Sokka is so dreamy when he explodes_, She thought, blinking her eyes.

Sokka calmed down. "I'm guessing that they coated them with steel-jade paint, recalling the old man's explanation back at the village. It's a special substance that can't be earthbent. When melted and coated over, it fuses with the earth." Everyone nodded. "This means that our only way into the fortress is to use the main gate." Using Suki's blade again, he drew the symbol of a door at width of the rectangle, which was the outer wall.

"Where does the earthbending come in?" Aang asked because Sokka still had not answered the earlier question.

"You're going to make a battering ram, Aang, and you're going to use it to smash the gates wide open." Everyone's eyes widened. They had never thought they'd be using such a huge weapon. Sokka knew that he would receive such a reaction and tried to give his rationale. "Now I know that this is a bit old-fashioned, but we'll get to have some good smashing action!" He slammed his right fist into his left palm, demonstrating the pummeling of the gate.

Suki was aghast. "Battering ram?" She shouted incredulously. "That's going to give us away. You said so yourself: we're outnumbered. We need to handle this stealthily."

Sokka was a bit hurt. He had thought out the plan very carefully and was a bit offended by Suki's doubts. "I thought through this plan perfectly! Do you have an alternative plan?"

The bickering was costing them time, and reformulating another plan would take even longer. Suki finally yielded to Sokka, who continued briefing the group.

"We have to be careful, though, because this is a fortress run by firebenders. Aang will need cover while he mans the batter ram. Can you handle this, Suki?"

Suki nodded. "The girls and I have shields. We'll repel the fire blasts." She showed him one of the shields.

"Good," Sokka nodded. "Then Aang and I will handle both the outer and inner gates. He drew a line dividing the rectangle into two parts and drew the symbol of another door.

"Now once inside, there'll be three buildings." He drew three small rectangles in end of one part of the rectangle. "The one on the left and right of the central building contain the bunks and the quarters for the children. The center room holds Toph. Ty Lee and Aang, you handle the two rooms on the left and right side."

"I'll handle the center room, then." Suki said.

"No. I need you and your warrior friends to create a blockade at the inner gate. Prevent any firebenders from getting through."

"Actually, I don't think that's the best idea." Aang replied. "I'm the only firebender among us. I can absorb any of their attacks. I'll handle the blockade with the Kyoshi Warriors. Suki, you can take the center room if you want."

"Sure." Suki replied. "Toph will be in good hands."

"But I want the center room." Sokka protested.

"Why?" Everyone asked. Sokka originally didn't want complaints or complications, but now he was the one making the changes.

"Because Toph's in that room. And it was my fault that she got into this mess. If it is anyone's responsibility to save her, it has to be mine."

"All right. Fine." Aang said. "Let's not change the plans anymore. Just to make it clear, Suki and Ty Lee will handle the right and left buildings respectively, while I will work with the Kyoshi Warriors to fend the Steel-Jade Mantises out of the inner gates. Sokka takes the center building." Everyone nodded. Parts of the plan, however, still wasn't fully explained.

"What do we do when we get into the rooms?" Suki asked.

"It is self explanatory, really, but I'll explain further. It is almost sunset, and the children have returned to their rooms for the night. If you manage to break in, free the children. We'll exit the same way we came in. Only with a lot more children. If we can pull this off fast enough, we'll be able to stop them before their tunnel reaches Kyoshi Island."

Everyone got up dispersed and readied for the raid, but Ty Lee was still confused. "Wait. What am I supposed to do again?" No one responded. She shrugged. She was only glad that she wasn't with Azula, who would have burned the skin off her face if she made Azula repeat orders. "I'll just see what everyone else does."

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Everyone is still at the forest, preparing for the raid._

Aang stomped his foot onto the ground, and with his arms, he raised a huge pillar from the ground. He tilted it so it was horizontal to the ground.

"All right. Good choice of earth, Aang. It'll make a fine ram." Sokka said, giving him a thumbs up. "I just need to make sure that you can carry this all the way to and inside the fortress."

"Don't worry," Aang said. "As long as I concentrate, this ram of a pillar won't fall over."

Sokka nodded. He walked over to the Kyoshi Warriors, who were practicing their shield maneuvers and formations. They stood together and opened their circular shields. Sokka scratched his chin. "Fast and tightly packed. Looks as compact as an armo-shello." He nodded and turned to the Avatar. "Aang, see if you can blast through their defense."

Aang fired several sprays of flames, but none of them penetrated. Sokka was impressed. "Now I need to see the line formation."

The Kyoshi Warriors folded their shields and ran apart from each other into two flanks. They reopened their shields. Sokka looked for awhile and moved his two hands apart, signaling that the distance between the two lines needed to be wider. "That's not enough room for the battering ram to go through." As the sun was about to set in the sky, it seemed that they were ready to raid the Steel-Jade Mantis' fortress.

Time was running out, and the tunnel was likely going to be near completion. "We have to execute our attack before the sun falls, with such small numbers, we'll need the light." Sokka said. "Everybody, prepare yourselves."

The Kyoshi Warriors nodded and got into formation in two lines with Suki and Ty Lee as the leaders. Aang lifted the huge pillar and suspended in the air. It was definitely difficult to keep something that huge hanging, and Sokka could tell that he was burning stamina every single moment. They had to act fast.

Aang lead the raid by running down the hill and out of the forest with the huge pillar toward the gate with two flanks of Kyoshi warriors covering him from both sides. The guards at the tip of the walls noticed and began shooting flames at the attackers, but the shields manage to block them all. Aang slammed the ram into the wall continuously, while Sokka cheered from behind. "Come on guys! We can do this! Bash it harder, Aang!"

The outer gate finally snapped and inside there were a huge array of firebenders behind it awaiting to attack. Aang, unable to bear the weight of the huge pillar anymore, dropped it. He was sweating profusely.

"What are you doing, Aang!" Sokka shouted. "This entire plan's riding on the fact that you can bust the inner gate open with that huge rod of earth!"

"I'm sorry, Sokka, but the weight is too much!" Aang said, wiping his forehead. "I tried. Don't expect Toph-quality earthbending from me."

The firebenders behind the gates were about to blast fire at Aang and Sokka, but the warriors ran ahead and opened their shields, blocking all of the attacks for awhile.

Sokka ran and grabbed Aang by the shoulder. "If you don't do this, we're all screwed!" His hands were quivering.

Aang could sense Sokka's nervousness and went into thought. He had an idea. "Leave this to me he said as he shouted to the Kyoshi Warriors to open their formation. Aang shot out a huge gust of air, knocking all of the enemies out of the path between him and the inner gate, clearing the road. He turned to Ty Lee. "It looks like we have to go with your plan, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee smiled. Finally, after all the time she spent with Azula, someone appreciated her ideas! "Goodie!" She clapped and then began dropping her shields and stripping her armor.

Aang turned back to Suki. "We'll need distance and focus, so you must cover us once again."

Suki shouted to the warriors, "Line formation!"

The Kyoshi warriors opened up from their tight pack into two lines again deflecting more firebending attacks. The path in between Aang, Ty Lee, and the inner wall was clear and they began running and picking up speed. Aang readied his air scooter and ran perpendicularly over the inner wall to the other side. Ty Lee managed to run halfway and used the bricks and rocks protruding to continue her ascent. Luckily for them, there were no firebenders on the other side of the inner wall. They easily landed onto the ground and opened the inner gate from the inside. Ty Lee ran out and with a hand gesture, beckoned the others to run in.

Sokka shouted, "Let's get a move on and hold the chokepoint." By chokepoint, he meant the gate. He and Suki headed for the inner gate while the Kyoshi Warriors broke their formations and ran after them.

Because the inner gate was never broken, the Kyoshi Warriors shut the gate to hold the firebenders off. The Kyoshi girls all leaned against the gate trying to keep it shut against the banging. Sokka turned to Suki and Ty Lee. "The hard part is over. Let's go and rescue some little children!" He shot his fist into the air, demonstrating his determination, before he ran off.

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Toph's prison in the central building. Toph is chained to the wall by metal shackles and was drugged by the Steel Jade Mantises' herbalist, Ru Fei, preventing energy flow within the body and earthbending.  
_

With the drug still in effect, Toph couldn't metal bend the shackles off. She tried to shake the tears that were uncontrollably sliding down her eyes with her face, but it was no use. This was bad, really really bad. She was going to rot in a dark and lonely room working for a child-abusing con artist in search of treasure. There was no worse way she could die. Even if someone did manage to save her, she'd be found crying. She couldn't let anyone know that the champion of Earth Rumble cried. However, during her dark hour, she heard a voice.

"There you are."

"Sokka?" Toph asked. She was so shocked that she actually called the non-bending Water Tribe boy by his actually name. It was her first response, for the voice didn't belong to Shin De or Ru Fei. Upon thinking about it, she realized that it didn't belong to Sokka either.

"No, Blind Bandit. I'm sorry that your boyfriend isn't here to see you crying." A man emerged from the darkness, laughing. Toph had heard his voice before at the poker table at the festival. The voice rang through the room again. "It's me, Chin the Fourth. I believe you have something of mine."

Toph maintained her composure in order to fight back his scathing comment on her crying. "You're missing something? Oh yeah, a beating right?" She laughed weakly. The situation looked grim for her. She couldn't bend and she couldn't see. The man could easily run over her.

"Tell me where the canister is!" Chin angrily shouted. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that she managed to trick him.

Toph realized his anger and said, "We had you fooled for quite awhile, didn't we?"

Toph heard a slicing noise, guessing it to be the sound of Chin pulling the knife he used to pierce the Lotus Constellation scroll from his sheath. He was furious now. "Tell me where it is, or else!" He held the knife at her neck. "I know that deep down, you're just a little girl, afraid of what the world thinks about you. With your seeing feet, you could fight this fear off, but now that you can't even see, you're terrified."

"I don't know where it is. I don't have it!" Toph was seriously panicking now. She had never been both so helpless and close to death.

"Then tell me where _he_ is!" Chin wasn't going to leave the room without his precious item. He knocked over a vase to show how serious he was with his demand. If Toph didn't comply, he'd break her head.

"I don't know where he is either!" Toph replied chokingly.

"Well, I do." Another person entered the room. It was Sokka. "Let go of your knife..." When Chin the Fourth turned, Sokka's mouth hit the floor. He didn't know how Chin managed to get into the room so easily.

"So the Water Tribe boy has come back, huh? Here to rescue your girlfriend?" Toph went into a dream upon hearing the word _girlfriend_ again.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Sokka shouted. He just hoped that Suki couldn't hear their conversation in the other building.

"Doesn't matter. There's an easy way you can save her. Just give me the canister I won at the festival." He took his knife grip off from Toph's neck and pointed it at Sokka's direction. "No sudden moves, or else!"

"You didn't win it fairly though. You cheated!" Toph shouted.

Sokka was puzzled. "He did?"

"He used soft earth cards. He could earthbend the images and values of each card to his liking." Toph said. She just hoped that her veins wouldn't be slit.

"No wonder they were so soft. And smelly." Sokka said, pinching his nose.

"So what?" Chin the Fourth angrily replied. "So did you two! You scammed all of the Earth Kingdom soliders."

"Don't listen to him, Snoozles! You beat him fair and square. Remember that!"

If there was one thing Chin couldn't stand, it was being outsmarted by children. "Fine, you want a rematch, then?" Enraged, he pulled out a sword. It was pure black.

There were only a few swords in the world that were black. Sokka noticed the tint and the design of the hilt. "Hey, Space Sword!" Sokka shouted. It seemed that while Chin searched the Earth Kingdom for the artifacts he was looking for, he stumbled upon Sokka's old sword. Sokka was about to run for a reunion with his favorite weapon, but Chin slashed it in front, indicating to Sokka not to get any closer.

Sokka took out Suki's sword. He pointed it at Chin, signaling that he was ready for a sword fight.

"You show him, Snoozles," Toph yelled, hoping that he would be able to save her.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Ty Lee ran into the room in the left building and headed for the door that led to the children's cells. However a man stood in her way. He looked fairly old with a few strands of gray hair in his head. His movements also seemed cumbersome and unresponsive. Around his waist was a huge belt, holding a huge bag of what seemed to be vials and syringes.

"What do you think your doing?" The man asked.

Ty Lee bowed. "Oh, Elder, sorry for my interruption. I need to break through the door and rescue all of the children inside who were tricked into working for Shin De. My leader suspects that you guys are planning an invasion on her home island."

The man shook his head. "As Ru Fei, second in command of the Steel-Jade Mantises, I'm afraid I cannot let you ruin our plans." He took off the cloak he was wearing to reveal his flabby and wrinkly skin. On the back of his belt, he carried several blowpipes.

Ty Lee grimaced. Looking at the old man was not a pleasant sight. "I don't _really _have to fight you do I?" It was going to be in bad taste if she beat up an old man. If Azula were there, she'd have to do it, but she was with a new leader now. A much kinder one, too.

Laughter rang through the room as Ru Fei whipped out a syringe. He injected it in himself, took several breaths, and sniffed the air. "Ah that's the stuff."

Ty Lee was astonished. Was this man getting high right in front of her? Nevertheless, he wasn't going to get out of the way, so she had to take him down. She charged at him and sent a flurry of punches in the old geezer's direction. Amazingly, though, he dodged it. He sidestepped the attack threw his own punch in Ty Lee's direction. However, it was a mistake, for his bones cracked.

"Ow!" Ru Fei hollered as he tried to shake the pain out of his hands. Ty Lee finally understood that the drug he took enhanced his reactions and performance, allowing him to nimbly dodge her attack. She ran around the room, chasing him and hopefully knocking him down with one of her chi-blocking attacks, but he managed to dodge them all. Finally, she had him in a corner. She knocked him over and yelled triumphantly in her victory.

The man however, laughed. With one of his still functioning arms, he injected himself with another serum and got back up again. Apparently, he also created a drug that allowed him to free his flow of chi. Ty Lee was amazed. No one had ever gotten up from one of her attacks before.

Ru Fei got up and shook his head, arms, and legs violently, trying to regain sensation. "Whoo-wee!" He said. He looked at Ty Lee's flabbergast face and laughed. "Didn't expect that from such an old man, did you?"

Ru Fei re-injected himself with another performance enhancing drug, took out one of his blowpipes, and slid a dart into it. He raised it and faced Ty Lee.

* * *

_Scene switches_

When Suki entered the room, she saw a man garbed in some of the Fire Nation's most luxurious clothing.

"So you must be Shin De, huh?" Suki asked. "Forcing little children to do your bidding while you reap the rewards?"

The man turned and saw her. "My, my. What a cute girl you are. You're still wearing makeup for a girl your age! Perhaps I could make an exception and add you to my mining party!"

_Make an exception? This guy is around thirty to forty years old! _Suki thought. Did this guy have a fetish with young girls? She tried to shake off the fact that he was a pedophile and asked. "Why are you trying to invade Kyoshi Island?"

Shin De laughed. "Invade Kyoshi Island? What would I want to do with that island? It has nothing…no artifacts, no treasure, and most importantly, no secrets!" _Though it does have some beautiful young girls _he told himself.

Suki was puzzled. "So you're not planning on invading?"

"No. The Steel-Jade Mantis will not pursuit such trivial matters. However, if the island is populated with pretty girls like you, I might just change my mind."

That was the last straw. That man was definitely a pedophile, and Suki was nauseated with what he had to say. She reached for her sword and realized that Sokka hadn't returned it. She rolled her eyes, opened her fans instead, and prepared to strike. Shin De took off his robes, revealing a fairly muscular frame. He took a step and thrust fire in Suki's direction. Suki dodged the attack. She ran toward him trying to get a good chance to slice him with the fans.

The fight was fairly close, for each managed to dodge the other's attack. Suki was at a disadvantage with the fans, for though they could repel air attacks and cut water whips, she couldn't get them close enough to harm Shin De. _Note to self, Suki. Remind Sokka that I could've made out of this fight alive if I had my sword._

After several minutes of fight, Shin De began to create a fire shield, looking as though if he was going to charge a huge flame attack. Suki tried her best to prevent him from fully charging, but the flames around him prevented her. When he finally released his energy, a ring of flame was emitted. She blocked herself with her pair of fans, but some of the fire still got onto her shirt at her shoulder.

Panicking, she tried to fan the fire off, but the fire only got bigger. She rubbed her shoulder against the wall, extinguishing the flame.

Suki readied herself for another attack from Shin De, hoping this time she wouldn't get burned. The situation looked bad, for she couldn't get close enough for an attack at all. Shin De was getting closer and closer, and if he cornered her, she would definitely be in big trouble. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ Suki told herself. _"Fanning only makes flames stronger," as Azula once said. _Then, though, an idea struck her.

* * *

_Scene Switches_

Aang was with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, trying to keep the gates shut while the firebenders outside the inner gate tried to break it down. At first, the Steel-Jade firebenders banged and shot flames at the gate, but recently, their attacks stopped. Aang and the warriors thought that they had given up, but they were wrong.

Suddenly, there was a huge impact on the gate. It was too huge for any regular attack.

One of the Kyoshi Warriors shouted, "They're using our battering ram!"

_This was not good_, Aang thought. Their own weapon was being used against them. Without the ram, they could easily have kept the gate shut, but now, it wouldn't only be a little while before the gates slammed open. He shouted to the warriors. "We need to back off from the gate. Once they open, I'll fend them off with an attack. You guys will have to defend me." The warriors all nodded. They stepped away from the gate in order to prevent themselves from receiving concussions from the ram's attack. Aang earthbended some pillars out of the ground to keep the gates held, but it was no use. Finally, the gates broke. Aang ran in front and shot flames in all directions. The firebenders holding the ram backed off. When they came back to make a counterattack, the warriors hopped in front of Aang and shielded him again.

_Come on guys,_ Aang thought._ Hurry up with the freeing and rescuing…_

* * *

_Scene switches_

_Both Sokka and Chin the Fourth have their swords drawn. Toph is chained up staring at the two who are about to begin dueling._

_Remember Master Piandao's words_, Sokka told himself. _Skill, agility, and creativity are qualities that make a master swordsman. Don't forget the last aspect._

Chin made the first strike, thrusting wildly in Sokka's direction. Sokka tried to deflect all of the attacks by swinging his sword around him, but he just wasn't used to this new weapon he had. He was backing closer and closer into the opposite wall, running out of space to maneuver.

"Come on, Boomerang Boy! Don't let this Mr. Chin the loser beat you!" As she was scheering, she tugged on the bracelets, hoping that the drug was going to wear off soon. In fact, she could actually feel her strength returning.

_Let your surroundings fight for you._ Piandao's words echoed again. Sokka took flasks and vials on the desks in the room and flung it in Chin's direction. Some of the liquid got into Chin's eyes, blocking his sight. He began swing his sword blindingly at Sokka's direction. Sokka saw this as an opportunity and took a nearby firebending ornamental drum and shielded himself with it. He blocked Chin's strike, which pierced the drum. The tip of the sword missed Sokka's by only a few inches, and Sokka quickly let go and began a counter attack. With the added weight of the pierced drums, Chin's attack was much slower now. His swings weren't fast enough to attack, so he had to play defensive. As Chin was pressed against a wall, Sokka hopped onto a table. He ripped a portrait off and stuck it through the sword also. With even more weight, Chin's moves slowed down. Sokka easily kicked the space sword from Chin's hands. "That's for stealing my precious!" He shouted.

Smiling, he hopped off and picked up his black sword. "Space sword, you've come back!" He hugged it and removed the drum and portrait.

Chin was not dazed. He opened his robes and took out two huge hammers fastened onto chains. "You're lucky that swords aren't my strong suit. Now you'll definitely not stand a chance."

"Actually," Toph said, as she ripped the shackles off. The second drug that Ru Fei had given her had worn off. She was finally able to earthbend again, "You won't stand a chance...against us."

Toph smiled at Sokka, who had stalled long enough for the drugs to wear off. Sokka smiled back, glad that Toph was all right.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Ty Lee was losing stamina quickly. No matter how man times she knocked the crazy herbalist down, Ru Fei injected himself with a serum and got back up again. Furthermore, with every time he did, he injected himself with another performance-enhancing drug. As the battle continued, she seemed to become slower and more retarded while he seemed to become more agile and nimbler. He was the one trying to get her now. He held a blowdart in his mout, trying to land a good shot on Ty Lee. She ran across the room, but was cornered.

The man laughed and injected her with a drug. Now she was the one unable to move. It was truly ironic how she, a chi master, had her chi blocked. She lay at the corner, helplessly, looking at the crazy man and his needle. She was seriously afraid what he was about to do to her.

The grabbed her by the neck and tried to lift her against the wall. However, he wasn't strong enough, so he injected himself with a strength potion. When he lifted her this time, he smiled. Holding her with one hand, he readied another needle.

"You know what this needle does?" He cooed. "Normally, it would make you numb. But I've upped the concentration so high that it paralyzes you…for life."

Ty Lee was sweating hard. As an acrobat, she was terribly afraid of losing her ability to move. Especially if it were permanent. Her nerves commanded her body to run, but she only wiggled. The man brought the needle really closely now, and was about to inject it in his neck. "Goodbye," he laughed insanely.

Suddenly, however, his pupils dilated and he fell over.

Ty Lee looked around to see what had happened. No one had interfered in her battle with the maniacal herbalist. Finally, she saw the convulsions and understood. He had overdosed on his own drugs. After almost experiencing one of the most ironic losses ever, she managed to survive due to one of the greatest ironies ever.

She sighed with the few jaw muscles that could still move.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Though Shin De had the upper hand during the battle with his fire-charging attacks, Suki finally knew how she would counter his tactic. Shin De took in heavy breaths as he prepared for another fire charge up. Suki took this opportunity, ran up to him and began furiously fanning. The flames grew too fast for Shin De to handle and he eventually fell over to his own flames. Taking this opportunity, Suki kicked Shin De in the head, knocking him out. She grabbed a rope from the room and tied his arms and legs together.

_That was close,_ Suki thought. She ran toward the next door, unlocked all the cells, and freed the children.

* * *

_Scene switches_

Though Sokka had managed to disarm Chin of the space sword, Chin drew out two new weapons. He had two hammers in chains and was prepared to take on both Sokka and Toph.

Toph summoned two plates of earth from the ground and sent them moving toward Chin, hoping to slice him. Chin leaped over them and sent his hammers flying toward Toph, who dodged them two. "I see you can see as well as ever, Blind Bandit."

"Sucks for you, then," Toph replied. "It means you're going to get whooped." She shot rocks in his direction, and Chin retracted his hammers and broke the rocks with them. Sokka ran up with his sword, ready to slice Chin, but he caught the sword mid-swing by pounding his hammers together and kicked Sokka into the wall.

"I know all you're tricks, Blind Bandit. You see with your feet. You feel the vibrations, but you still have a lot to learn." Chin shouted. He really seemed confident in what he had to do.

"A lot to learn?" Toph said, in her mantis stance. "We'll see who has a lot to learn after you get beaten up by a blind twelve-year old girl. Have you seen this?" She ripped a metal armor off of the wall and bent it into a huge metal ball, chucking it in Chin's direction.

Chin was hit and fell to the ground, but he stood back up. "Impressive. You seem to have mastered the art of metal bending. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve, too." He waved his hammers and summoned stones from the floor and shot it at Toph.

The speed and force of the stones were unusually fast and powerful, and though Toph raised an earthen wall to protect herself, she was still knocked over. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"A weapon is an extension of your body. I exploit my hammer's blunt strength and use it empower my earth bending."

Sokka got up, remembering his masters words. By then, Chin and shot one of his hammers into the ceiling and pulled himself midair. Toph couldn't see him at all now.

"Where'd you go?" She stomped repeatedly, causing the ground to vibrate, but she could only feel Sokka.

"I'm in the air, where you can't see me," Chin shouted, whacking her with the hilt of his other hammer. Toph fell over, nearly losing conciousness.

Sokka knew he had to act fast, for Chin had just discovered Toph's weakness. He threw his space sword at the hammer that was stuck in the ceiling, knocking the hammer out and causing Chin to fall.

"Now, Toph!" He shouted. Toph summoned a rock and knocked Chin on the head, who fell over. She grabbed the Shackles and chained him up into the wall. Chin didn't give up easily. With one hammer he had left, he retracted it into his hand and broke the chains. He swung his hammer back into the ceiling and was about to perform a midair swing attack on Toph. he kicked her in the head again, and this time, Toph blacked out. Sokka, however, grabbed the metal ball and wacked Chin on the head, causing Chin to black out too. He sheathed his space sword, picked up Toph with his two arms, and ran out of the room.

As they approached the exit to the central building, Toph opened her eyes slowly and saw the Water Tribe boy carrying her. She smiled. "Thanks...for saving me...Sokka," she said as she lightly punched him in the arm before falling unconcious again. This time, she intentionally called him by his given name.

* * *

_Scene switches_

As Aang and the Kyoshi Warriors continued to fend off the Firebenders, he saw Sokka, Toph, Suki, and bunch of young Earth Kingdom children head for the group. "Where's Ty Lee?" he asked.

"She hasn't come back yet?" Suki was puzzled as well. "I thought that she would be the fastest."

Sokka would have slapped his forehead, but his hands were full carrying Toph. "Don't tell me she forgot about the plan!"

Aang shook his heads. "No, I'm sure I saw her enter the building." He stood up. "Suki, you take over. I'll go check up on her." He ran off into the left building, which was also the children's quarters.

* * *

Moments later Aang came out of the room, carrying Ty Lee in a piggy-back fashion. There were more earthbending children following him. "I got them all, guys, let's get out of here."

Sokka's original idea was to leave the fortress through the main gate, but it seemed like it wouldn't work. "There's too many of the soldiers," Suki shouted to Aang and Sokka. "I don't think we'll be able to hold them off." That wasn't the only problem. They were also down four people since Aang and Sokka had to carry Ty Lee and Toph respectively.

Sokka then had an idea. "These guys were digging a tunnel to Kyoshi Island. We might as well use it to our advantage." He waved to Aang and Suki to lead the Kyoshi Warriors and Earth Kingdom children to follow him. Suki however, didn't listen.

"What are you doing?" Sokka asked. "Stay any longer, and we'll get killed!"

She pulled out a brush and paper and began writing quickly. "We can't handle them all and run forever, Sokka. We'll need help." After she wrote the message, she tied it around Momo's legs, who was perched on her shoulder. "Momo, find the Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Forces or whatever they're called... give them the message and tell them that we are in need of serious help." Momo flew off and Suki ran after Sokka.

"Way to think ahead," Sokka said. He turned to the group. "Let's head off to the tunnel grounds. We'll make our escape there!" He shouted as he ran in the opposite direction of the inner gate, behind the three buildings where a big hole leading to an underground tunnel was. Everyone followed him, hoping that he wasn't going to lead them to a dead end.

_Fades to black._

* * *

Note: Wow! So I finished this really long chapter. It contained all of the action sequences for this episode, but in the next act of the episode, there'll be a lot of flashbacks and questions answered about Avatar Liang-Shek for real! Also, you now know about the "Tunnel" which the Steel-Jade Mantises were using to launch an attack on Kyoshi Island, which is the "Island." What about the "Tomb" then? Stay tuned to find out. I hoped you enjoyed reading this chapter, and please review as always!


	15. Tunnels, Tombs, and Islands, Act 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

**Summary of previous act:** Sokka, Aang, and the Kyoshi Warriors have raided the Steel-Jade Mantises fortress. They have now run into the tunnel that the Steel-Jade Mantises were working on in hopes that they can dig their way through to Kyoshi Island. As they dig, however, they realize that it doesn't lead to an island. Rather, it leads to a tomb...

Here is the third and final act. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. It answers questions relating to Avatar Liang-Shek and finally reveals the gang's duty. What is their duty, however? And how did Liang-Shek break from the cycle? Read to find out. Thanks!

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 5:**

**The Tunnel, the Tomb, and the Island**

...

_Avatar Liang-Shek was a man who didn't believe in destiny, unless the definition included the fact that he had the power to control it. He was audacious enough to challenge the higher beings and believed that he could shape his own fate._

-Togato's Diary on the Great Avatar and his master, Liang-Shek

...

Act 3:

Sokka led the group and all of the children into the tunnel. He was running as hard as he could, while carrying Toph in his arms. This tunnel would be the only way out for them to escape from the Steel-Jade Mantises' Fortress. As they descended deeper and lower into the tunnel, everyone's apprehension rose. They knew that there was no turning back, for they were being pursued by an army of firebenders. Furious firebenders at that.

Sokka placed Toph on the ground and placed his ear at the wall of the unfinished end of the tunnel. He couldn't hear anything, which was a bad sign, meaning that there was still some tunneling to go. It was now a race against time. "Everybody, earthbend at the wall like there's no tomorrow!" Sokka commanded. Everybody readied their positions to finish what Shin De had started. They were going to dig a tunnel undersea and escape to Kyoshi Island.

Aang, the most skilled earthbender in the group other than Toph, did the most work. The tunnel was getting longer thanks to him. The other children tried their best, too, but their techniques weren't refined enough to match Aang's speed.

Sokka could see shadows appearing at a turn in the tunnel. The firebenders were heading in their direction. "We're not going to make it!" He turned to Toph and tried to shake her awake. "If there's any time we need you Toph, it's now more than ever!" She, however, was still unconscious with her eyes closed.

The Kyoshi Warriors ran to the back of the group and opened their shields. "We're going to hold the firebenders off for as long as possible," Suki said.

Toph's eyes suddenly blinked open. "It can't be…" She said. She rubbed her forehead with one of her hands. "Don't tell me Suki's back already!" Her annoyance at hearing Suki's voice triggered her mind to snap awake.

"You're awake!" Sokka shouted, hugging Toph.

"Yeah, Snoozles. I'm awake." She pushed Sokka out of the way. "I can't possibly stand the fact that Suki is back already…"

"Less chit-chat and complaining… Finish this tunnel!" Sokka pointed to Aang and the children who were earthbending.

Toph stood up and rooted her feet firmly to the ground. With one quick and powerful thrust with her two arms, she blasted the tunnel through, revealing a huge chamber at the other end. The tunnel had been finished.

Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors let go of their shields and began heading for the entrance into the chamber. She yelled, "Everybody get in!" She picked up Ty Lee, who was lying on the ground, still drugged and unable to move.

Sokka led the group and ran into the room with Aang and the children following. Aang firebended some light and Sokka looked around and scanned the perimeters. The stones were old, and there was moss creeping out from every crevice in the wall. The chamber was definitely ancient. The floor was flooded with waist-deep water. Protruding out from the water's surface were many coffins. They were placed in a neat rectangular array. "No. This isn't Kyoshi Island. It's... a tomb."

"A tomb?" This wasn't the first time Aang found one. He had also found a tomb inside the Cave of Two Lovers. _What's with earthbenders and underground secret graveyards?_

Toph slid a huge wall of earth to block the tunnel entrance and prevent the chasing Steel-Jade Mantis firebenders from entering. "Who cares if this is a tomb or not. We have to get out of here."

Sokka had heard what Toph said, but was too enthralled by the undiscovered tomb to immediately respond. Then it hit him. "This tomb… This is what the Steel-Jade Mantises have been after all along." He took out the map he found in the factory. He showed it to Aang and Suki, who was still carrying Ty Lee. "I originally interpreted as an invasion of Kyoshi Island, but now I realized that they were tunneling into this tomb."

"What's so special about this tomb, though? Other than the fact that it is under the sea?" Aang asked.

"Don't you see?" Sokka said, taking out the canister with an emblem of a dragon. "This tomb is what we have been searching for also! Before Avatar Kyoshi, Kyoshi Island was still attached onto the peninsula. When Kyoshi separated the Island from the main land, she only took part of land with her. The bottom half of the peninsula (or what is now an island), which includes this tomb, remained under the sea."

Aang understood. He looked around the tomb and its magnificence and began lighting the torches that were hung across the wall. Once he did so, the entire group could see that at the other end of the tomb stood a special coffin. It was elevated a few feet higher than the other coffins and had a staircase leading up to it. Aang made a huge airbending leap and studied the coffin. "So if this is what Avatar Liang-Shek's map has been leading us to, is this his grave?" He pointed at the special coffin.

While Suki reassured to all the kids that they would be all right, Sokka and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors waded through the water to where Aang was. He looked up and saw two ornamental statues that stood at both ends. One was in the figure of a wolf, the other was in the figure of a huge serpent. Sokka then felt the characters carved onto the lid and read it out loud. "Here lies Togato, faithful servant to the Great Avatar Liang-Shek who stayed till very end and helped him discover the secret to life after death."

Sokka scratched his chin. "This is definitely not Avatar Liang-Shek." He was as perceptive as ever.

"No kidding…" Aang said sarcastically rolling his eyes. "Well, so Avatar Liang-Shek's map lead us to a grave that isn't even his. What is its significance?"

"I honestly don't know," Sokka replied. "Though I can guess that this Togato man must have served the Avatar. I think it's best that we search around this tomb. I'm sure there must be something here that will shed light on the mysterious Avatar." Everyone nodded.

Toph was trying to keep the wall of earth she made intact. "Well, guys, come on! Start searching! I can't hold off these guys forever!" She stomped her heels into the ground again to strengthen her stance. The Firebenders were blasting the slab of earth from the other side, and it was gradually hardening and weakening.

The Kyoshi Warriors waded into the pool again to search the lesser coffins. Sokka began searching around the proximity of the coffin of Togato. He turned to Aang, who sat down, crossing his legs. "What are you doing?" He angrily shouted at Aang. This was an immensely dire situation, and the airbender was doing nothing to help out, or so he thought.

"I need to focus," Aang replied. "This tomb was constructed underneath Kyoshi Island. Perhaps Avatar Kyoshi knows something about this."

"Wow...good thinking." Sokka nodded and continued searching. He found a row of drawers and began pulling several of them out. They all were empty, except for one, which contained a book. The book had no title on it, other than the symbols of four creatures—a wolf, a snake, a dragon, and a lemur. Three of the animals he had seen before in relation to Liang-Shek. The dragon appeared on the map and the canister, while the wolf and snake were carved into statues near the coffin. Curious, he opened the book and began reading. He realized that it was a diary—the diary of Togato, a man who had once served Avatar Liang-Shek.

Sokka flipped through the pages, but earlier ones were all damaged by the leaking water from the ceiling. He finally found one of the later entries that were still legible.

* * *

**Entry 1: Tenth day of Autumn, Year 341, Clear skies**

_Flashback_

Avatar Liang-Shek sat on a rock. I had rarely seen him sitting down and taking the break. As an ex-general leading his army, I saw him blasting himself over the battlefield shooting fire and earth in all directions. He would immobilize enemy soldiers with ice and blast all their weapons away with a powerful gust of air. And if they refused to serve him, he would create a huge explosion of fire, melting the ice, their armor, and their faces. Today, however, was different. He merely looked at the battle and his army's preparing to fight off the rebels.

This was my first day serving the man as his confidant and servant, and I studied every bit of emotion within him. It was not very often you won the complete trust of one of the greatest Avatar's in the world and had a chance to understand him as a person, and not only a savior. He was sporting a traditional Earth Kingdom upperclassmen outfit. His boots were dirty with mud when he climbed his way up onto the hill. His hair was messy, revealing that he hadn't had a good night's rest in a long time. His face was contorted, and he was disgusted by how things were turning out. He only managed to live a short life of sixty-eight years, and already, his health was deteriorating.

Avatar Liang-Shek was a man who didn't believe in destiny, unless the definition included the fact that he had the power to control it. He was audacious enough to challenge the higher beings and believed that he could shape his own fate. That's why he was disgusted with his current state. He couldn't believe that he left his fate in the hands of his army and not himself. He got up, turned, and headed for his tent.

"What's wrong, master?" I asked him.

He took off his cape and robes, revealing a very muscular frame that had endured much training. His muscles came from constant firebending and earthbending practice. His flexibility came from waterbending, and his agility and nimbleness came from airbending training. And though he was an extremely fully realized Avatar, he couldn't fight anymore. Or at least he didn't want to, for he told me it hurt to fight.

"I'm dying." He said. I merely looked at his posture. There were no signs of limping or disease—only depression. "I've been corrupted, and there's only one way I can survive my spiritual destruction—I need to learn the secrets to energy bending."

He made a gesture with his hand, signaling for a drink.

I nodded and poured him a glass of wine. Though I had never heard of energy bending before, I did not doubt my master. He had traveled to all four corners of the world to master the elements. He probably knew more than his entire army combined.

"Everything hinges on this battle. If my army falls to Chin the Conqueror right here, I will die on this peninsula."

"Chin is a traitor sir," I replied. "He lacks the honor and valor that you and your army have. There is no way you will lose, sir." I knew Chin the Conqueror, who was one of Avatar Liang-Shek's greatest rivals. Years ago Liang-Shek had managed to defeat Chin and his army. As an act of mercy, he spared Chin's life in return for his loyalty. Now, with Liang-Shek's declining health, Chin had betrayed him.

"That's very good to hear," the Avatar said, sipping his wine. "Make sure that it happens. Make sure that we win."

_Flashback ends._

* * *

Chin the Conqueror? Sokka thought. Then it finally hit him. The continuing struggle between the Chins and Avatar had transcended many generations. Even now, Chin the Fourth, descendent of Chin the Conqueror was on the hunt for Liang-Shek's secret.

And what about the Chin the Conqueror during Avatar Kyoshi's time? What was his role in the history of the Avatar and the most powerful Earth Kingdom army? Sokka flipped through most pages.

Amidst all of the confusion and cacophony of page flipping, water rippling, and fire shooting, Aang sat there, meditating and isolating himself from the mortal world.

* * *

_The Spirit World_

And with every second, he approached the Spirit World. Avatar Kyoshi appeared in front of him in blue. "What is it Avatar Aang?"

"Avatar Kyoshi. This tomb was constructed underneath Kyoshi Island. Is there anything that you can tell me about this tomb or Avatar Liang-Shek, the man who constructed this cemetery?"

Kyoshi kneeled there. "The man who constructed this tomb is Avatar Liang-Shek. I, however, like you, know nothing of this man. But I do know one thing..."

"And that is?" Aang inquired.

"I faced a man named Chin the Second, also known as Chin the Conqueror, who claimed that his anscestor had a conflict with a previous Avatar. He told me about Avatar Liang-Shek, and his final stand on the peninsula."

"That's why he came to invade your home!"

Kyoshi nodded. "One reason was driven ambition. Second was redemption for his grandfather's failure. The third and final reason was because he had scoured and conquered all of the Earth Kingdom in search of this tomb that you found and finally realized that the Southern Peninsula was the key. The last unsearched land. There was a problem, however."

"This was your homeland... That was the problem."

Kyoshi nodded. "Right. Unbeknownst to me, I was protecting this tomb from Chin. He fell to his death, and his family's legacy as the great generals finally ended there with him."

"So what is in this tomb, then, Avatar Kyoshi?" Aang relentlessly asking quesitons.

Kyoshi shook her head. "I don't know. It's only when you came in here, I learned about this tomb. I see what you see, and I feel what you feel... Stay sharp, Aang, and I'm sure you can find out the secret Avatar Liang-Shek is hiding from everyone...even the Avatars."

* * *

_T__he Mortal World_

Aang bowed his head. Kyoshi knew as much as he did. Aang bowed his head in disappointment.

Sokka continued reading the diary.

* * *

**Entry 2: Seventeenth day of Autumn, Year 341, mildly cloudy skies  
**

"Your death shall not be in vain," my master told me. "With my former earthbending master defeated, nothing stands in the way between me and Wang Shi Tong's Library.

I groaned. My master had become obsessed with finding a cure to his inevitable demise. He had rambled on and on about how he found a solution. He had gone crazy, sending his entire army to fight his single former earthbending master. He even sent me, who was now mortally wounded, and now I lay on my deathbed, listening to another one of his crazy ideas.

"You see, I've mastered one form of energy-bending. I can unbend, or in layman's terms, suck the bending ability right out of a person. I realized a catch, however. If I can drain energy, perhaps I can give energy out."

I spat my soup out, but regretted that action, since I likely would have offended my master. He, however, was too content to get infuriated. He merely asked, "What's wrong? Is there something in your soup?"

I shook my head. "Master, it's just that, there is no such thing as channeling energy."

"Au contraire," he said, as he leaned back on a wooden chair. "I will find out how to master channeling energy. I heard, after all, that they have quite a collection of books in the library regarding this issue of mine."

I tried to get up from my bed, but only put my hand on my chest. The pain was killing me. "And what if you do learn energy bending? How can you survive still?"

"I'll tell you once I learn," he laughed lightly and walked out of the tent. That was the first laugh he had in a long time. His efforts were finally yielding results, and he wasn't going to stop on his quest now.

* * *

Aang got up and remembered in the flashback, he saw a serpent insignia on Chin the Conqueror's flag. It was the same serpent as the one he saw on the statue in the tomb. He ran up to Sokka and looked over his shoulder. "How's reading going?"

"Be quiet, Aang," Sokka whispered, giving Aang the finger. "I think I'm about to find out how Avatar Liang-Shek disappeared from the reincarnation cycle!"

* * *

**Entry 3: Twenty-sixth day of Autumn, Year 341, torrential rainfall  
**

_Flashback_

Around a week and a few days later, my master came back. The pain had gotten so bad that that it hurt for me to write in my journal. He came back to me with three artifacts, triumphantly telling me that he had finally solved his predicament. The artifacts were figurines. One was the shape of a phoenix, the other a dragon, and the last a wolf.

"I've finally found out. I've finally mastered the art of energy-bending." He placed all three on the table in front of me.

"Do you have a way to overcome your spiritual corruption?" I asked him. It was his greatest goal, after all.

He laughed, expecting this question. "I'll channel my energy into these artifacts, and I'll ground myself into this world."

I gave a shocked expression. "So you're telling me that you'll be putting in a piece of your energy--your life into each of these figurines? But then what? Sure, you get to keep a part of your life in the world, but you'll still die. You'll still be unable to reharness your energy. You'll be unable to return and realize the energy as life!"

He laughed again, harder. He knew the answer, but wasn't going to tell me.

"That's a secret. Let's just say I'll need to pay a visit to my airbending master." He said, grinning. I had not seen him smile so genuinely for so long. He walked out of the tents, and disappeared with his secrets... I lay there, looking at the top of the tent. He managed to escape death, but not me. I'm no Avatar. I don't understand all of this fancy energy business...

I believe this to be the last entry I'll be writing. Farewell, journal.

Togato, the humble servant of the greatest Avatar, Liang-Shek. 驮假驼.

* * *

That was indeed the last entry. Sokka closed the book.

"That was it?" Aang asked. "So we know that Avatar Liang-Shek can really energy-bend."

Sokka shook his head. "You don't realize it. That book provided us with so much information. I think I understand everything that is going now."

"You do? You know Avatar Liang-Shek's secret?"

Sokka shrugged. "Hey, I might not know all of this bending stuff, but I can piece clues together when I see them. For example, let's take a look at the symbols on this diary. We've all seen these animals before--the dragon, the wolf, the snake, and the lemur."

"And...?" Aang asked, hoping that Sokka would elucidate what was going on.

"I know, I know... It's complicated. It's complex, but that's what makes Avatar Liang-Shek a genius. He trusted no one. And the person he trusted the most...this Togato person...He didn't even completely tell Togato his secret..."

"So what is it? What is he hiding in each location on the map?"

Sokka continued explaining. "In each location, he is hiding a piece of his life. There's one in the Northern Water Tribe, one in the Earth Kingdom, one in the Fire Nation, and one in the Air Temples."

"How'd you get all of that?" Aang asked again.

"Because," Sokka pointed to the statues. "Each animal. It is indigenuous to a different nation. The Wolf is Water Tribe. The Snake is Earth Kingdom. The Dragon is Fire Nation. And the lemur..."

"Is Air Normad." Aang finished, thinking about Momo.

"Right," Sokka answered. "So he bends his life into these figurines. However, the question in Togato's mind is on everyone's mind. 'How does he re-realize this energy he trapped into the items as life?' The key is..."

As Sokka spoke, Aang went into a dream. He remembered Avatar Yang Chen's speech. She told him how many Air Nomads had managed to seperate themselves from the world and achieved spiritual enlightenment. That was the answer. "The key is enlightenment," he finished Sokka's sentence again.

"Yes! Yes that is it! It all fits. He achieves enlightenment and leaves the world. He exists as neither mortal nor spirit. And remember the parchment in the astronomer's clock? A day of enlightenment lasts a thousand years."

Aang nodded.

"What's the year in the entries of Togato's journal?" Sokka asked. He responded, "341."

"And the year now is 1341." Aang said. "He's returning to the mortal world. His thousand-year disappearance is ending. These figurines in each location are all that is left, anchoring him to this world. If they are destroyed..."

"Then Avatar Liang-Shek dies. His energy is all released, and none of them can be realized into new life or rebirth. He won't be able to return from enlightenment." Sokka was understanding the concept of energy and bending fairly well."What do you have to say? It all is making sense!"

Aang remembered his journey into the Spirit World and meeting Avatar Kyoshi. "It does. That means that people like Chin the Fourth...and even Shin De are after these figurines."

Sokka slammed his hands into his palm. "That's right. And we have to get to each location before they arrive. If we can protect them for long enough...all the way until the one thousand years are up...or when the clock finishes counting down..."

Aang got up. He finally understood his duty. He had to protect the previous Avatar if he wanted to learn spirit-bending. He had to find a figurine. "So we have to find this figurine right now, huh?"

"Find a what-now?" Toph asked. She couldn't hear the two talk from so far away. The slab she was holding up was really cracking. "While you guys are on your scavenger hunt, I'll just stand here and continue holding this wall..."

Sokka and Aang both knew that time was running out. They had to find the figurine in the tomb fast. Aang yelled to the Kyoshi warriors and children. "Guys, we are looking for a figurine of an animal! We need to search through this tomb carefully."

Sokka thought for awhile. "Hmmm..." He shook his head. "It's not here."

Aang turned Sokka, "What? It's not here? This is the location on the map!"

Sokka recalled the journal entry. "This is a tomb. It is filled with other bodies. Other people probably came here. Avatar Liang-Shek trusted no one. There's no way he would have left it here. Think...he only had three figurines... when he met his servant. And the one he was missing was a snake, the animal indigenous to Earth Kingdom. It's not hidden here." He grabbed Aang's shoulders. "Meaning we have to get out of here or else we'll be scorched to death!"

"Finally!" Toph said. "Somebody heard me through! What's the plan?"

"The plan?" Sokka asked. "Am I supposed to have one?"

"Yeah," Suki said. "You are the idea man!"

Sokka grabbed his forhead. "The idea man, huh?" He hated that title. He would rather be called "Sparky-Sparky Boom Man." Seriously. "We'll just dig another tunnel and continue all the way to Kyoshi Island..."

"Won't work," Toph replied. "You know how hard it was to dig a tunnel. If we try to dig another one, the rate at which we'll be tunneling won't be fast enough for us to escape."

Aang waved his hand into the air. "Oh! I have one! This tomb was originally connected to Kyoshi Island. I found a gate after digging into the ground at the island. That gate should have led to this tomb, meaning that..." He looked at the ceiling of the tomb. There was a metal slab gate. "If we can pull that gate open, we'll be able to escape from this tomb."

"Are you crazy?" Sokka shouted. Maybe he_ should have_ remained the idea guy. "Above us is a huge sea! You open that ceiling up, we'll drown!" He pointed to the leak which was the source of the water in the tomb.

"It's the only way out." Anag tersely retorted. "We either do that or face all of the firebenders. I'll redirect the water while Toph will break the ceiling open and elevate us above sea level."

"We still have all these kids, though," Sokka said. "Have you thought about that?"

Aang scratched his head. He threw the bison whistle at Sokka. "Call for Appa. He'll fly the children out of here to Kyoshi Island."

Toph let go of the wall. "We have to leave, now!" The firebenders broke through. Toph broke the ceiling and a huge torrent of water began pouring in. Aang waterbended the water out of the way and prevented it from hitting the group. "Everyone, get into the middle." Toph took a huge breath and summoned a pillar through the ground right underneath everyone's feat. The firebenders shot flames at the group's direction, but the gang avoided all of the attacks as Toph pushed the entire pillar upward more. It shot out of the sea and formed a little circular island. Aang released his position and the water came back down into the tomb, flooding its entire contents and washing the firebenders out into the tunnel with which they came in.

"Yeah!" Toph said, and she jumped up and down. "Woohoo!" Sokka blew the bison whistle. It took around ten minutes or so, Appa headed toward their direction. They loaded all of the children onto Appa and since the weight was too great, Appa decided to swim.

Meanwhile, Momo returned and landed on Aang's shoulder. Aang unfurled a note. "Avatar, we have been informed of the Steel-Jade Mantises' acts. We have sent a squadron of Earth Kingdom Post-War Restoration Force (EKPWRF) soldiers in your direction. They will arrive in about an hour."

"This is great news!" Sokka said. "We have the Steel-Jade Mantises cornered now!" The entire gang got onto Appa and sailed off into the direction of Kyoshi Island.

Aang turned and looked back at the location where the tomb was. Though the site had been entirely destroyed and flooded, he finally began to understand his mission: he had to protect Avatar Liang-Shek's figurines in order to keep the previous Avatar and the spirit-bending master alive...

_Fades to white._

* * *

Note: Well, I finally typed up some history about Avatar Liang-Shek. It might be hard to follow. I'll probably spend next chapter explaining what has happened and respond to reviews... So please, please, please, review! I would greatly appreciate it!


	16. Intermission and Thanks

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But it is awesome.

**Note: **So here is an intermission from the main story. Half of it (the first five episodes) have already been written, and I would like to thank all who spent some time of their day to read my story. In this brief interlude, I'll give a brief overview of the already existing characters and my original characters. It also contains the shipping (at this point) I favor for the sake of the story and my curiosity... Thirdly, it'll give a taste of what will happen in the next five episodes (the latter half of the story). Finally, I'd like to thank all of those who spent extra time to review this story and answer any points of confusion. Thank you all!

* * *

**Characters**

**Avatar Characters (Meaning not original characters):**

**Major Characters:**

**Aang's Team:**

_Avatar Aang_

Affiliation: Air Nomads

Personality: Carefree, loves having fun, but more serious and responsible after his journey to save the world. Dislikes violence.

Aang is the current Avatar and the last airbender in the entire world. Originally he tried to shirk his duties and ended up freezing himself in a giant ice-ball for one hundred years, failing to protect the Air Nomads from genocide when Sozin's Comet arrived. Upon returning and making new friends, he ended the war by learning Spirit-Bending from a giant lion-turtle before the final showdown with Firelord Ozai. Rather than kill the firelord, he removed his bending abilities. Though the world is at peace, Aang takes on another duty—to restore airbenders to the world. And the only way he can do so is to learn spirit-bending in an attempt to grant people the abilities to bend. The person he seeks to learn this from is a previous reincarnation of the Avatar, Avatar Liang-Shek. Along the way, he learns about the roles the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom play during the aftermath of the war.

* * *

_Sokka_

Affiliation: Southern Water Tribe

Personality: Goofy, fun, but serious when needed to be. Intelligent when he puts effort to think. Inspired by food. Really.

Though Sokka isn't the leader, he plans the itinerary for the group and makes most of the important decisions and plans. He met Aang after Aang broke free from his giant sphere of ice. Along the way to save the world, he learns his importance to the group as the navigator and map reader. Currently he is still as skeptical as ever and is in a long-distance relationship with Suki. He is noted for comedic and spontaneous outbursts and massive hunger pangs. But more importantly for his awesome black space sword.

* * *

_Toph_

Affiliation: Earth Kingdom

Personality: Sassy, rebellious, independent, cunning, tomboyish, overly bold, and a bit reckless.

Toph is a blind girl who ran away from her parents and her hometown of Gao Lin. She decided to train Aang in hopes of restoring peace to the world but more importantly to avoid her parents. She is a very powerful earthbender and has her own style of earthbending moves. Alhough she is blind, she can see by sensing the vibrations with her hands and feet through earthbending. Despite the fact that she has a lot of heart, she doesn't like to show it. She enjoys having fun a lot and that includes scamming others. After the war, she worked with Iroh at his tea shop, becoming his apprentice. She still has a crush on Sokka and tries to make subtle moves on him during their new adventure.

Note: Currently the only known metalbender in the world.

* * *

_Suki_

Affiliation: Earth Kingdom--Kyoshi Island

Personality: Caring for those in need, thoughtful, and strong-willed. Has some of the sensibility that Sokka lacks.

Suki is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, warriors who are trained in the fighting style that Avatar Kyoshi once used. Though she cannot earthbend, she is a powerful fighter and skilled in the arts of sword fighting and… fan fighting. She joins up with her boyfriend Sokka and his gang again upon realizing that a Fire Nation renegade group, the Steel-Jade Mantises, are planning to invade her homeland, Kyoshi Island.

* * *

_Ty Lee_

Affiliation: Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom--Kyoshi Island

Personality: Cheerful, optimistic, very loyal, and a bit vain.

Ty Lee once served Princess Azula during the war but betrayed her in fear that her two friends would get hurt. After her stay in prison, she became friends with the Kyoshi Warriors and taught them Chi-Blocking attacks. She now stays and practices at Kyoshi Island with the other warriors. She, like Toph and many of the other girls in the Avatar universe, is still attracted to Sokka.

She is a sister of many siblings and joined a circus in order to be unique, at which she learned amazing acrobatic tricks.

* * *

_The Kyoshi Warriors_

Affiliation: Earth Kingdom--Kyoshi Island

Other residents of Kyoshi Island who train in the arts of hand, sword, and fan combat. Their leader is Suki and all are very loyal.

* * *

**Zuko's Team:**

_Zuko_

Affiliation: Fire Nation

Personality: Down-to-earth, serious, solemn, caring, kind, a bit unconfident in himself and the decisions he makes considering his past history.

During the war, he was exiled by his father, forced to chase and capture the Avatar in order to restore his right to the throne. He was cared for by his uncle, ex-general Iroh who taught him many life lessons and the history of his two great-grandfathers. Blinded and driven by his lust for restoration of his honor, he betrayed his uncle and helped his sister conquer the Earth Kingdom. In the end, he realized his mistakes and his duty to help the Avatar and restore balance to the world. By defeating his sister, Azula, he won the right to the throne and is now working with Aang in search of the history and secrets of Avatar Liang-Shek. He misses Mai very much, but knows the importance of his current journey. Besides, he has Katara to accompany him on the quest.

* * *

_Katara:_

Affiliation: Southern Water Tribe

Personality: The most caring of all in team Avatar, protective, easily wound-up, a bit short-tempered,

Katara was with Sokka when they discovered Aang. She is the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe who avoided death thanks to the sacrifice of her mother. Though she was a fledgling waterbender at the beginning of the journey, she mastered waterbending faster than anyone, even surpassing the Avatar's skills. After Zuko's betrayal in the crystal catacombs in Old Ba Sing Se, she was the last person to trust Zuko's joining their group. Though now, she patched her relationships with Zuko after he helped track down her mother and heroically saved her in the battle with his sister.

* * *

**Minor Characters:**

_Uncle Iroh_

Affiliation: Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom

Personality: Wise, comedic, caring, very empathetic and sympathetic, and open-minded

A fire ex-general who traveled with Zuko in search of the Avatar. His teachings eventually lead to Zuko's decision to defect from the Fire Nation. He is a Grand Lotus in the Order of the White Lotus and is currently staying at the Earth Kingdom running his tea shop, The Jasmine Dragon, while playing Pai-Show every day. He tells the gang of his adventure to Wang Shi Tong's library and the previous Avatar, Avatar Liang-Shek.

_All the Avatars: Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yang Chen will make an appearance, too! _

* * *

**Original Characters:**

**Major Characters:**

_Avatar Liang-Shek_

Affiliation: Fire Nation

Personality: Proud, powerful, confident, and a bit obsessive. Not a bad man, though. Not much is learned about him yet and his history is unclear...

An Avatar who is presumed by many not to exist. Iroh and Aang, however, know for sure that he is a real Avatar. Iroh knows from his visit to the famous library, and Aang knows because Liang-Shek is missing from the Avatar Cycle. He was spiritually corrupted after a failed spirit-bending attempt in a battle with the first firelord. Though he knew his death was inevitable, he managed to escape his demise by mastering energy-bending and storing his life into four artifacts in a secret location in each nation. Afterwards, he entered a state of enlightenment, lasting a thousand years, and is planning to return to the mortal world by autumn's end. His four figurines and artifacts are the only items that are chaining him to the mortal world. I got the idea of the four different indigenous animals from his name: Liang-Shek -- Lang-She -- 狼蛇 -- the Wolf and Snake. Dun dun!

* * *

_Togato_

Affiliation: Air Nomads

Personality: Loyal. Strives for knowledge. Not much is known about him.

An air nomad who journeyed to the Western Air Temple to further his airbending prowess. He learns about the spirits there and saves Avatar Liang-Shek from destruction upon realizing Liang-Shek's defeat against the first firelord on one of the Fire Nation Islands. He was promoted to becoming Liang-Shek's general and later personal servants but was mortally injured in a battle with Liang-Shek's former earthbending master. He recounts the events in his journals, revealing to Aang's group their mission to protect all of Avatar Liang-Shek's figurines.

* * *

_Chin the Fourth_

Affiliation: Earth Kingdom

Personality: Gruff, short-tempered, but knowledgable. Is he your average villain?

A descendant of the great Chin the Conqueror, who was defeated by Avatar Liang-Shek. His other ancestor, Chin the Second, who was also referred to as Chin the Conqueror, was defeated by Avatar Kyoshi. His families long line of struggle with the Avatar continues as he faces Avatar Aang in hopes of ending his family's nemesis, Avatar Liang-Shek by destroying the four figurines. He is one of the few people who know about Liang-Shek's secrets and Liang-Shek's lifebending abilities.

* * *

_The Man in the Blue Spirit Mask_

Affiliation: ?

Personality: Very mysterious. No one knows much about him except for the fact that he'll do anything to get what he wants.

His affiliation is unknown, but he saves Katara from execution. His motives for keeping her alive is that he wants her and Zuko to lead him to a secret location. But what is the location? And does it have relation to Avatar Liang-Shek's secret?

* * *

**Minor Characters:**

_Shin De_

Affiliation: Steel-Jade Mantises/Fire Nation

Personality: Very deceptive, authoratative, and a bit impatient. Not especially cruel,

A man who's loyalty lies to his renegade group, The Steel-Jade Mantises first and the Fire Nation second. He is secretly recruiting kids in an attempt to find the tomb of Avatar Liang-Shek and learn about the secret to immortality. He is a powerful firebender.

* * *

_Ru Fei_

Affiliation: Steel-Jade Mantises

Personality: Insane. More crazy than King Bumi…

Second-in-command of the Steel-Jade Mantises and a master botanist and herbalist. He can make almost any kind of drug—drugs to prevent bending, drugs to block chi (effectively the same thing), performance-enhancing drugs, and so forth.

* * *

**What is coming up...**

**Northern Lights/The Ice Labyrinth: **Zuko and Katara are still stuck in the tundra above the Spirit Oasis in Northern Water Tribe territory. They are trying to cope with the brutal conditions of the blizzard, while at the same time trying to avoid the Northern Water Tribe soldiers who are on a mission to capture the two for their crimes. Zuko hopes that the Faceless Lady, the one who forced Katara to commit her crime, will lead them to safety and the secret of Avatar Liang-Shek. As their journey continues, the two form a relationship stronger than your average friendship bond and discover a village buried underneath the snow and below the great Northern Lights... As they learn more about the history of the Avatar World, they discover an Ice Labyrinth joining into the village. They'll have to navigate the maze in order to find what Liang-Shek is hiding from them...and they fall into a perilous trap. Will the Blue Spirit return to save them? Or will he return to finish the two off after having them successfully lead him to the village?

**The Avatar and the Firelord (II):** Zuko, Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, and the rest of the gang learn about Avatar Liang-Shek's past history and the location where he is hiding his Earth figurine from different sources. For Zuko and Katara, they travel to a Fire Nation island. Aang hears it from Liang-Shek's earthbending teacher and master.

**The Bridge/The Heart of Stone: **Aang and the gang head back to Shi Wong Desert. While Aang meditates to learn how to bridge items and buildings from the Spirit World to the mortal world, the rest of the gang have to protect Aang from Chin the Fourth and his rag-tag team of sandbenders. Will there be an appearance by the sand spirit? Nobody knows. They wander into the library again in search of something, but the question is how will they get out?

* * *

**Shipping**

**Zutara:** Though I support Kataang, because it is canon to the series, I have decided on Zutara instead because I was just curious of what it would be like if Zuko and Katara got together. The reason I plan Zutara is because it has to do with the story... and I think I have a way to make their personalities...mesh...yeah.

**Tokka:** I like Toph's character, and Sokka is cool to. So the two will get together... yep.

These are the only two shippings I have pinned down for now.

What about Aang and Mai? We'll I have plans for Aang...not sure about Mai. I'll see how it turns out...

* * *

**Inspirations**

I had many inspirations when writing this story. I would first like to thank the creators and the team behind Avatar: The Last Airbender because it has everything a person could ask for: good humor, great action, vivid characters, and a poignant and intricate story to hold everything together. I hoped to capture this magic that they have created by thinking through my ideas and trying to make this not just an adventure or romance story, but an Avatar: The Last Airbender story!

I just love how the story can be so simple and so meaningful, with the allegorical elemental nations. I love their explanations for the different bending arts and Iroh's wisdom. I hope those _elements _(pun haha) have carried over, too!

I would also like to credit many movies that I have recently seen or have seen, such as _Good Will Hunting_, _Shindler's List_, and other awesome epics or classics that have made me want to make allusions to...

I have also been thinking about _Beloved_ and_ Jack London_... Don't ask me why, but they might influence what happens...

* * *

**To the reviewers...**

**LocIsBac, Mlcoolc86, Airee Skye, and miguel nuva:** I'm glad you have enjoyed the start of this story and supported it from chapter 1. I would love to get your support the entire way, but for now, thanks a bunch already!

**The Great Valley Guardian:** I'm glad you stuck by with this story to its most recent chapter. Thanks for the praise on my writing skills, but it is nowhere as good as the thought that Mike and Bryan put into their TV show. I just see myself as a simple screenwriter. Putting in the dialogue for the characters without much description of what is going on. I hope to improve in the details aspect, but for now, this will have to do. And about how Liang-Shek found enlightenment...I have that planned out too. And the final air temple location... yep. Now I just need the perseverance to finish the story.

**Tigerfur:** Nope. Katara didn't die. But will she at some point of the story? Perhaps... I'm glad you liked the chapter and will continue writing and weighing Katara's fate. But one thing is for sure: if she is in danger, Zuko and Aang will be there to save her!

**Creeping Shadow:** Thanks for the support and the praise, but I'm afraid I might not be updating as soon as I used to. But still stay tuned!

**zerox22:** Well, I think I answered your question regarding Suki now. Yeah, I didn't mention it in the first few chapters, but she returned to Kyoshi Island early. Sokka and the gang have rejoined with her. I'm happy that you are finding this story great and am hoping to have it continue that way.

**BaiMaoRieji:** Thanks for your attentiveness, but I think I intended for the White Jade to be poisonous...because that is how Toph tells that the order Zuko makes is fake. Stay sharp and I hope you'll return to catch problems.

**Devil Rebel:** I'm sorry to say that I think the shipping of this story will be Zutara, but we'll see how it turns out in the end. After all, it is not over until it is over. We might see moments of Kataang...yep. Thanks for the support by the way.

**bloodstar:** I'm glad you find this story interesting. Sure, I have made explanations, but there is still quite a way to go. The plot will thicken, and I hope you'll be there to see what happens! And I'm really happy that it is easy to understand.

**1Girl Revolution:** Thanks for commenting on my other story, "Secrets of the Fire Nation." I'm glad you liked that story a lot. It was awesome to write and I hoped it was awesome to read, too.

And to all those who favorited this story, I am honored. I really am. This is only my second Avatar story, and I'm having fun writing out my thoughts and ideas in hopes of sucessfully matching the creator's vision of what the universe would be like. I wanted a story with drama, morals, adventure, action, and intrigue. And I hope I've been on track, but with you guys favoriting, I know that my efforts are being put to good use for a few people at least. And that's a good feeling. So once again, thanks!

And because summer is ending and I have to get back to school, the updates will slow down. This has been an enjoyable pastime this summer, however!

So with this break taken, I hope to continue this story and make it really awesome!

Final thanks to Avatar Spirit for letting me read over the transcripts and making sure I didn't make any glaring contradictions to my story.

_Corkstopper.  
_


	17. Northern Lights, Act 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Note: What kind of fire is strong enough to keep you alive through a blizzard? Read to find out!

* * *

Voiceover:

Katara:

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air.  
Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.  
Only the Avatar, master of all Four Elements, could stop them. After a hundred years have passed, my brother and I found a new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang, who returned to end the Fire Nation's conquest and return peace to the nations._

_But now, we face a new threat...the balance and harmony we sought so hard to restore is on the brink of ruin unless Aang restores airbending to the world. And although his elemental bending is great and his spirit is strong, he has a lot to learn before he can fulfill his duty. But I believe... Aang can save the world._

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 6:**

**The Blizzard, Part 1—Northern Lights**

...

"You were my fire in this time of need, burning as strongly as ever to keep me alive."

-Zuko, to Katara

...

**The Clock's Countdown: 22 Days left.**

Act 1:

Zuko sat inside the ice cavern, rubbing his hands in hopes of generating some extra heat. Though he had a fire going, it was slowly dying out because all of the fuel was slowly being burnt. Instead, now he relied on his 'breath of fire' technique in order to keep himself warm. This, however, was a problem, since as he continued to breathe fire, he was gradually weakening. And it was more important now than ever that he didn't tire all of his energy out and fall prey to the darkness and freeze to death in the barren white wasteland.

He looked outside the entrance of the cave he was hiding in. The snow was falling as hard as ever, and the clouds were so thick above the sky that he couldn't tell whether it was day or night. Judging by the temperature, he assumed it was night.

Finally, he looked at the waning fire in the center. Like his hope, it was flickering. If Katara didn't return soon from her trek in the blizzard, his demise was imminent. It was then he saw a silhouette emerge from the entrance of the cavern.

"Sorry it took so long, Zuko." Katara took off her hood. She was wearing her traditional thick fur Southern Water Tribe coat ever since they decided to visit the Northern Water Tribe. Zuko, on the other hand, didn't have her prescience. He hadn't prepared himself well before he went to rescue her. Instead, he was wearing his simple Fire Nation vest, hugging himself for extra warmth.

"Hey," she continued. "I got some firewood." She dropped the few pieces she had in herm arms next to the fire. Normally, it would have been difficult to scavenger for firewood in the snow because it was so thick that one had to bend down and dig quite a bit in order to uncover objects near the floor. For Katara, however, it was much easier. All she had to do was to waterbend the snow out of the way search the floor.

"Did you remember to cover your tracks?" Zuko asked, stuttering from his shiver. It was of utmost importance that no one else knew of their location.

"Yes," Katara said. Recently, the two were involved in a crime, and the Northern Water Tribe soldiers were after them. They managed to escape into the Spirit Oasis and enter the tundra above. And as they traveled from cave to cave in the tundra, they covered their footsteps and even created a few false trails. Just thinking about all the attention involved in living the life of a fugitive depressed Katara. She lowered her head. "I can't believe what I've done."

Zuko had told Katara on their first days in the blizzard how she had been controlled by a Faceless Spirit through the technique of bloodbending to steal huge amount of waters from the Spirit Oasis. Because they had no proof of the spirit's connection to the crime, Zuko had to break Katara out from execution. And of course, a man in a Blue Spirit mask helped save them, too.

"It wasn't your fault, Katara. How many times to I have to say this?" It was all he could say to console her. He was cold and numb, and the nerves in his brains weren't cooperating to help him come up with a better response.

"I know it wasn't my fault," Katara replied. "But if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be in this desolate cave struggling for our lives. You wouldn't be here, right now." She sighed heavily, wondering how a day visiting her sister village could turn so horribly wrong. Friends turned into enemies in just an instant. The ties established between the two nations were already unraveling after only a transitory period of peace. Zuko could sense her deepening sadness.

"It's no problem. Please, Katara, for the sake of both of us, stop worrying." Zuko spared a moment from his friction generation to point to the tiny sparks kindling in between them. "Just feed the fire some of the wood you got."

Katara nodded and waterbended the moisture out from the branches, for wet wood was ineffective fuel. It was amazing how the two needed each other in this think storm. Without her snow-manipulating waterbending abilities or Zuko's warmth-generating firebending prowess, the two would have long perished by now. No matter how terrible the circumstances seemed, it almost seemed as if they were destined to thrive or struggle together.

The thought of destiny was on Zuko's mind, too. In fact, it had been on his mind for a long time already, specifically during his chasing of the Avatar. His uncle was right—it was funny how his destiny was changing, how he eventually defected to the Avatar's side after all the years of chasing him. Now, it seemed that his destiny was changing again. No matter what adversities he faced now, he seemed to always be at Katara's side. In fact, he was glad that Katara was there with him. He didn't really know why, though.

"I'm sorry for the scarce amount of firewood." Katara threw them into the sparks and blew at the embers, hoping to have the flame grow.

"Katara, stop saying 'sorry,' please," Zuko said, letting out a puff. He was upset that they had to resort to firewood. After all, earlier ago, they had the opportunity to kill a turtle-seal. Then, not only would they have some tasty meat, but they would also have used the oil from the blubber to start a fire that would last a week. It was Katara's choice to let turtle-seals be. And although he regretted her choice to spare the turtle-seal's life, he understood her intentions. Killing the mother turtle-seal meant the death of all its pups, of which Zuko couldn't condone.

He was still missing his mother right now. He turned his attention to Katara, who sighed at his remark and continued blowing into the embers. Strangely enough, he felt uplifted about the problems with his mother when he saw Katara. He stood up, approached the flame, and lit it up with a snap of his finger. He sat back down, rubbing the skin on his arms and legs, hoping to regain some sensation. Katara saw Zuko's futile attempts to generate warmth and began taking off her coat.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked, sternly, almost as if he were berating her. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. What only added to the confusion was that the two girls that he usually hung out with, Azula and Mai, would never have so willing offered him help. Well, perhaps the latter might have overcome her indifference, but definitely not the former, for his death would have made her life a lot easier. He stared into Katara's blue eyes and only regretted that he hadn't joined up with the Avatar earlier. He regretted his intentions to harm her throughout his journey. He wished more strongly than ever that he could have had more time to spend with her, his first female companion.

"I'm taking off my coat. You look really cold back there, clutching yourself like that." She said.

"What about you?" He raised his palm against her face declining the offer. "You'll freeze to death if you give me your jacket." He could see that Katara was sporting a fairly thin and light jacket inside the coat.

Katara shrugged, standing up to prepare to force the jacket onto Zuko. "I've worn it for three days in this storm already. I'll be able to handle the cold."

"But you are not a firebender. You can't possibly warm yourself up." He pointed to his mouth and nostrils, and after taking a deep breath, flared a couple flames out from them. "See? You can't possibly do this."

Zuko was right. She couldn't, and perhaps that made all the difference. She thought for a moment, scratching her head. "Well, how about we share the coat then?"

Zuko's eyes widened. Though his shivering worsened with his shaking, he felt the warmth of blood flood into his cheeks. "Share the coat? How are we going to do that?" Perhaps this blizzard was taking its toll on Katara's mind. "As you can see, it only fits your body, which is already of a smaller frame than mine."

"Why don't you sit next to me, then? This way I can put the coat over the both of us loosely and you can heat both of us with your fire."

It certainly wasn't a bad idea and considering the fact that it was definitely cold. Furthermore, their bodies generated warmth, too. He scooted himself next to her.

"See, isn't this much better?" Katara said. She bent over and searched through her bag. "It's a good thing I got some sea prunes before getting captured. Why don't we make some soup?" She smiled weakly, for she, too, knew that there wasn't much hope left. But no matter how bleak the situation seemed, there was still _some _hope, for they had each other. After all, when she thought she could never be able to get over her mother's loss, Zuko came to the rescue, even after she had rejected his offers numerous times. _Oh darn it, _she thought to herself. _You're getting all sentimental again._ She recalled the Ember Island Player's production and groaned.

Zuko groaned, too. He groaned not because he hated her cooking or because of the play, but because this was what they had been eating for the past three days in a row.

"Come on, you know the drill." Upon seeing the funny contortion of his face, Katara laughed. She waterbended some snow over the fire, melting it into water, while Zuko held the sea prunes and threw them into the suspended swirl of water. They waited until the water began bubbling and let it to cool. Katara waterbended some of the soup into Zuko's mouth. It was basically sea prune soup with none of the marinades, which wasn't great, but it was better than no soup or sustenance at all. Zuko tried to divert his attention as he swallowed.

Katara laughed and covered her mouth as she watched Zuko's expression. He clearly didn't enjoy the food, but she enjoyed watching him eat it.

* * *

Outside of the cavern, many miles away, Chief Arnook was in the Spirit Oasis, kneeling before it in prayer. With the huge amount of spirit water stolen, the two koi fishes, mortal manifestations of the ocean and moon spirits, were in danger. He only had one week to save the spirits and his daughter, and five days had already gone by. He wished, ironically, that the two spirits would come and aid him in his search. A Water Tribe captain came in from the standard entrance to the oasis.

"Sir, it's been five days since the arrival of the Southern Water Tribe lady and the Firelord. We need to report back to the airship of their actions, or else…"

"Or else what? They'll be suspicious of us?" Arnook raised his eyebrows. Normally he would have shouted because of the urgency of the situation, but there was no point—they were definitely in trouble. Like Zuko and Katara, he was lost. He did not know where the two were hiding. And also like Zuko and Katara, he had nowhere to run. He couldn't call off the mission—his daughter's and the spirits' lives depended on their success. And if he lost contact or trust with the Fire Nation airship, he would have to face a full fury of the Fire Nation. And they all knew from a hundred years' worth of history how badly that would end.

"If you are worried that the Firelord's servants might be concerned about his disappearance, why don't you take down that airship of theirs, then? After all, we do have the weapons to stop it." He was referring to the huge ballista which they planned to use to prevent Zuko and Katara's escape. "Bring that up to the top of the exterior dam and fire it when I give the order. They probably will not expect such an attack at night." He pointed to the setting sun. It was almost night, and the fifth day's search for the Water Tribe traitor and the Firelord was coming to an end.

The captain bowed and headed out of the oasis from where he came from and into a Northern Water Tribe war room to prepare the ballista for firing.

Another Water Tribe Warrior approached him. He repelled against the cliff bordering the oasis using rope. He came from the tundra and blizzard in which Zuko and Katara were lost in. "Sir," he said to the chief, panting from the descent. "The storm is too thick. We can't navigate far into the blizzard without getting lost."

The Chief stood up and walked in the soldier's direction. "So you're telling me that you still haven't found them."

The soldier shook his head. "No we haven't."

"Are you sure they are not dead? Are you sure they aren't buried in the snow out there?"

Once again, the soldier shook his head. "We have been finding many false trails, leading us to nowhere and empty caves. Apparently, they have made camp outs at several caverns, but have changed their positions from day to day. We found some several burnt wood and ashes in two of them."

"Fine." The chief said. "If we can't find them in this storm, then let's stop searching for tonight. Put the husky-raptors to rest. I want a fresh start early tomorrow. Right when the sun breaks through the horizon and illuminates the sky."

The soldier was confused. "But the blizzard clouds are so thick that you can't see the tiniest ray pierce through."

Chief Arnook laughed. "Tomorrow you will. Tomorrow the blizzard will stop. It will grant us one day's time to search through the tundra, and I hope that with all the visibility, you'll finally be able to find the two teenagers. You got that?" He poked the soldier in the chest.

"Tomorrow the clouds will part?" He didn't know why or for what reason the skies would open up for them after several hundred years it would part.

Arnook understood the soldier's confusion. "I just have a hunch, he said. The spirits told me."

The soldier nodded, bowed, and began scaling up the ice cliff again. He, like many of the other soldiers was tired of the endless search in such harsh conditions. He approached the camp at the outskirt of the blizzard and patted one of the husky raptors before entering a tent.

Inside the tent was the man who accompanied Zuko and Katara in their escape—the man in the Blue Spirit mask. "It seems that your efforts to save the two have all gone to waste." He took out a clean, white scroll and a brush. He had to write the military report for the day and keep watch of their prisoner, whose arms and limbs were encased in ice. He hadn't spoken for the entire duration of his detainment, but it didn't matter, for they didn't need his information anymore. "My chief has told me that the skies will clear up tomorrow, meaning that the two will be caught. No longer will the storm be of any impediment.

The man who wore the blue mask raised his head. After all the days and nights emotionless, his face finally lit up. _The blizzard is stopping tomorrow?_ He needed to find the two also, and he knew he had to use the weather to his advantage. It was time for him to begin his search, too. When the soldier wasn't looking, he melted the ice with firebending.

The soldier could hear the dripping and turned. His jaw dropped. "You're a firebender?" The last thing he expected was for a warrior to have also studied the bending arts—espeically firebending, for that matter. The soldier readied a spear and began attack, but the fugitive picked up the two swords he used earlier and fended the soldier off. He ran out of the tent, released one of the husky-raptors, and riding it, headed into the direction of the relentless storm.

The soldier blinked at what had just happened. He had just let one of their prized fugitives escape, and the chief was not going to be happy. Though he should have reserved all of the search party's energy for tomorrow, he decided that he had to enter the storm as soon as possible and capture the fugitive while his tracks were still fresh.

Running into each tent, he hollered, "Ready the husky-raptors and sleds. We're going into the storm again." Some of the soldiers, who had just begun sleeping, yawned in complaint while those who were playing cards groaned. They had just finished one long day of searching. "This is urgent," the lead soldier shouted. "Our prisoner has escaped. We can't let the Chief find out," he took a sack of meat and fastened it to one of the husky raptors, who whined violently. Even they were tired. He fastened crates of gunpowder and flares onto the sleds. Finally, he placed a torch on the sled. Its flames were meant to serve as a guide for the other soldiers following him. And when they all got ready, they pulled out their whips and entered the blizzard.

* * *

Zuko peered into the snowstorm and could see some smoke and faint light approaching them. It was his shift to watch the night while Katara leaned against the wall of the cave and Zuko's shoulders, sleeping. Zuko rubbed her shoulders and stood up, causing her to fall over.

"Zuko…" Katara said groggily. "What is going on?"

Zuko lifted her from the ground. "I think that the Northern Water Tribe is after us again."

Katara immediately awoke hearing this news. "What? It can't be…" She noticed that she had only slept for around an hour. "It's nighttime right now. They wouldn't be…"

She was right to assume that the trackers wouldn't be going after them. The smoke heading in their direction said otherwise, though. "Look at the thin line of smoke. It's definitely them." He stomped his foot on the fire, extinguishing it, and put the coat over Katara. "Let's get moving."

Katara was going to complain, but she picked up her pack and walked next to Zuko, and they headed out of the cave.

Katara, using her waterbending techniques, cleared where they walked of the snow to ease the journey, while at the same time created a faint mist over them. She also covered their footsteps with snow. Zuko created a small flame from his hand to keep the two warm.

"So where to now? In that direction of snow fall or _that_ direction of snow fall?" He joked lightly, pointing his fingers in two different directions. Katara, however, didn't respond. She seemed entranced suddenly and began running off in a direction.

"What are you doing?" Zuko shouted. Splitting up was a bad decision, for it meant not only getting further lost, but also death. Katara had the most common sense in the Avatar's team, and he was shocked that she chose to run away from him. Katara began sliding on the snow, forming a trail of ice, while Zuko had to wade through the waist-high snow. She began to further the distance between her and him with every moment, ignoring Zuko's cries. Zuko after running around several miles and finally out of energy, collapsed in the snow.

* * *

When Zuko woke up, he realized that the blizzard had stopped. The first thing he saw was the night sky for the first time. The stars twinkled so delicately and he was astonished that he was still alive after collapsing. It was almost as if he had been saved by the spirits themselves. Or maybe he was captured. When he stood up, he noticed that he was where he had fallen and saw something amazing in the sky. The lights were dancing—it was the Northern Lights!

He had heard many tales about the lights that tore across the sky. Myths rather than tales, since the clouds from the blizzard of the North Pole usually covered the sky and blocked them out. Scientists say that they only occur at the north and south poles and are due to some magnetic effects. He couldn't remember exactly what caused the phenomenon, but his uncle had an alternative explanation. He said that it was due to the spirits.

He picked himself up and headed for a snow-piled hill far away to get a better view.

* * *

Katara did not know what had just happened. She had just remembered traveling with Zuko in the blizzard and then spotting a lady in the storm. Thinking the lady to be her mom, she must have followed her untiringly, but now she was now on her own. The lady had vanished from her sight, and it was getting cold. She tried to start a fire, but without Zuko, all she could do now was use the spark stones from her backpack. She finally got some embers to start sparking in the small pile of cloth she had lying on the ground. She began blowing at the embers, hoping to get them heated up, but it was to no avail. They died out immediately. All of the warmth of her feelings was succumbing to the cold. All of her hope was dying. The visions of the world at peace were fading away. The visions of the Aang and their time together were blackening out. She continued slamming the stones together desperately. She needed warmth now, more than ever. Finally, the visions of her mother were fading away, too. She fell over and curled up.

* * *

As Zuko got closer to the hill, he noticed Katara laying there. He ran up as quickly as he could and lit up the fire, knelt beside her, and picked her up. "Katara, all you all right?" He said, shaking her. She opened her eyes weakly and saw him. She felt not only the warmth of the tiny fire that he had lit, but more importantly, the warmth of his passion.

"We always end up together…don't we?" She smiled. At least she didn't have to cope through the disaster alone. "So you came here to rescue me?"

"Actually," Zuko said sheepishly, I had no idea where you went. "I only came here to take a look at the Northern Lights." His cheeks turned red at the brutality of the truth. "Guess it's a good thing you were here." He hoped that Katara wouldn't get mad at his forthrightness, and she didn't.

Zuko's presence returned her strength and he lifted her up with his arms. "So why don't we take this moment to admire the beautiful sky? It's not like we would have the chance again."

With the flame lit, the two sat on the snow hill and looked at the lights. Because the blizzard had stopped, the weather wasn't so cold. Rather, the entire climate seemed to be comfortable, almost in harmony with the rest of nature. Zuko thought about his uncle's take on the phenomenon again, and how the lights really looked like spirits were dancing across the sky. At such a desolate place, who knew something so magnificent was hiding. It's funny how you could find beauty in such an unlikely place.

That was exactly the thought that was running through Katara's mind. She glanced at the sky and turned to Zuko, looking at his scar. She had never felt such a connection with him before. Strange how now out of all time she was appreciating his being there. Sure, they had been through a lot, but they never spent much time together other than fighting each other or another enemy. She finally opened up.

"Zuko…" She didn't know how to begin. "I…hoped that you would find me in the storm…" She lied. She had thought nothing about him in her final moments. She had only the visions of her friends and family. Well, her friends save Zuko. She didn't intend to lie to him, but she just couldn't find any other way to express her gratitude.

"I know you hoped," Zuko said. He seemed quiet.

For a second, Katara thought that he saw through her lie, but she realized that he didn't. He just didn't react that much to her statement. "I want to tell you, that I really believed in you." She thought about the play once again. "I know I'm overly preachy at many times and probably even more so sentimental—"

"Katara," Zuko said, turning and smiling at her. It was the first time he let his sight off of the sky since they sat down. "I know that. And it's all right. I like that about you."

"Really?" Katara was confused. "But-but… I thought you would have thought me to be overly emotional and whiny and protective and…" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Well, that's how my brother and my friends think of me."

Zuko shrugged. "Well, I like that about you. I once had someone just like you. Emotional, yes, but to a lesser degree. Whiny, not as much I guess. Protective, the person was at heart." Katara wondered who he was referring too, tilting her face. "It was my uncle, and I almost lost him. He was almost like a father to me."

"But the reason I enjoy your company so much is because you are something he can never remind me of. And that is...my mother."

_Mothers_. It was what bound the two together other than the fact that both were being chased down by the Water Tribes. Memories of their first true conversation in the catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se were re-invoked.

Zuko continued. "She was like you. She always protected me, even if it cost her life. And she was my hope. Everything she had done, she did it for me. She, together with my uncle, was what drove me to choose the right decision. And though I haven't found her yet, I can't seem to shake off the feeling that part of her is in you."

Katara's eyes widened. Zuko was opening up right in front of her. Though he had a gruff exterior, his last few months spending with the gang had really reformed him and softened him up quite a bit.

"I just can't believe," Zuko said. "How that if I had been with anyone else in this storm—even Mai—I wouldn't have made it through. Because none of them had the passion and the emotions that you have. What kept me through all of this was you—your care for me with all of the little details—the food provided, the coat shared, the wood gathered." He thought about his visit to the Sun Warriors. "You were my fire in this time of need, burning as strongly as ever to keep me alive." He shot out a small flame from his fist.

This was as much a revelation for Zuko as it was for Katara. He finally realized why he was so attracted to her. She provided the motherly care that he had longed for so badly ever since the day he found out she had left. This craving only spiked when he found out she was still alive.

Katara was so touched that she stood up opening her arms for a hug with Zuko. Perhaps it was time for her to get over her mother, too. Just a bit. Though she had found the person who had killed her, she still couldn't let go of her then. But after hearing Zuko's little speech about his mother and how self-sacrificing she was, just like hers, she felt the connection. If Zuko could let go of his bond with his mother just a bit to connect her to Katara, Katara felt that she could let go of her mother, too. Besides, it was time to make room for a new member in her family. "I want you to be my fire in this time of need, also," she said softly.

The two embraced and hugged against the backdrop of the incandescent sky, forgetting for a moment that they were fugitives lost in the snowy tundra of the North Pole.

_Fades to black._

* * *

Note: So...yep. I finally got around to doing some Zutara action. Don't know how well that will turn out... I hoped you enjoyed reading this chapter, and please review! You'll find out the purpose of the Nothern Lights later in the chapter and I'll reintroduce some characters later... So please stay tuned!

And I'll work on the beginning voiceover, too.


	18. Northern Lights, Act 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Note: So here I reintroduce two underdeveloped characters in the Avatar Series. It helps if you've seen the Avatar Escape comics. Some questions might remain unanswered in this chapter, so stay tuned for the next chapter!

If you are unsure of what is going on, you have to read "The Spirit Thief" episode. Happy reading!

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 6:**

**The Blizzard, Part 1—Northern Lights**

...

_A face without emotions is merely a mask. Koh values your feelings just as much, for it is what gives your face true authenticity. Remember, feel nothing when you're with him, and you'll fear nothing._

-Ummi, the Faceless Lady

...

Act 2:

Katara and Zuko broke from their embrace. Katara then turned to Zuko. "You know what would be really great? If we can get an even better look at these Northern Lights!" She pointed to a spot at on end of the hill. "I'll create a pillar of snow that will raise us even closer to the sky, Zuko." She tugged onto his arms and pulled him down the hill for the spot she pointed at.

Upon stepping onto a patch of the snow on their way, the floor broke and the two fell all the way down through a chasm. Zuko instinctually grabbed onto Katara's hands tightly as they fell past the ice walls of the abyss. She was screaming as they accelerated further and further down. Zuko took out his knife and stabbed it through the ice wall, creating friction and slowing down their descent. By then, Katara had calmed and froze an ice slide which the two used to level their fall and slide onto the ground. After riding the slide, they slid a few feet until they hit a huge piece of ice.

They turned their heads above to see the tiny hole that they had fallen through. The snow that they fell through originally formed a small dome over the city they were on. The rays of the Northern Lights shot through the hole they created and illuminated a the icy ground they were standing in, which reflected in all directions, bouncing off the ice structures and towers all buried beneath the snow ceiling that they came from. It was a huge spectacle, almost as if they were underneath the sea. Everything was in different tints of blue, and almost every single object was shining due to the light. It was a resplendent sight.

"Where are we?" Katara said, letting go of Zuko's grasp. She picked herself off from the ground and began walking around. She saw the ice pagodas and the ice houses perched on the edge of the cliffs. There were so many cliffs and levels there were rows and rows of houses on different floors.

Katara stared intently at some of the houses—the ways they were constructed—some of them had the spherical roof of an igloo, while others seemed to have a conical swirl at the tip. The architectural style was definitely different than that of the Northern Water Tribe capital, though, hinting that the structures had been constructed in a completely different era a long time ago. Amazingly, all of them were still intact, and Katara ran next to one of the towers to feel the ice walls. "We're in a huge city underneath the tundra!"

Zuko stood up and dusted the snow off from his clothes. It was indeed a city buried beneath the snow above. The harsh, cold weather managed to keep every frozen building standing and every detail intact and in place. He saw the cliffs—they mast have been around several hundred feet high, meaning that most of the city must have been buried in hundreds of feet of snow. _Impossible._ No storm had ever been that bad ever. No normal storm, at least. Everything was so surreal—Katara's crime, his meeting with the faceless lady, their trek through the blizzard, and the Northern Lights.

_Was this a dream?_ Zuko looked hard into the ice of the same towers that Katara was feeling and saw their two reflections, including Katara's awe-struck face. _Was Katara a dream, too? And their hug underneath the Northern Lights--was that also a dream?_

"Well," Katara said, "At least we now have a real home to stay. And we don't have all that snowfall bother us, too." She pointed to one of the small shacks not so far away from them.

Zuko nodded but then extended his arms. "Wait. But how are you so sure that no one is here?"

Katara shrugged. "I think you as well as I would know that there is likely nobody living in a city buried underneath hundreds of feet beneath a blizzard. Zuko sighed. He begged to disagree after finding out that the Sun Warriors still existed in an ancient civilization. "I think this is a sacred place Katara. Perhaps we should think our actions through."

"Come on, Zuko, lighten up." Katara waved for him to come along. "We have this entire city to ourselves. I bet there's some great waterbending history around here. We should just go and look around. You know, explore! There'll be lots for us to learn."

Last time he and Aang went exploring at the Sun Warriors' Kingdom, they nearly died. He looked up at the hole they came through, he thought that their first goal should be finding a way out of this place. Some secrets, after all, were best left not tampered with. He walked into the shack that Katara had just run into. It looked nice enough and even had its own ice furniture. Katara lay her bag down on the table.

"See, isn't it nice, Zuko?" She showed him the thin sheet of snow that served as a blanket on one of the beds. "And no one's staying here! If this shack here is this cozy and roomy, imagine what the rest of the city would be like. Those huge towers and even bigger houses…" She clasped her hands together. "We've finally found salvation!"

_Salvation?_ Zuko thought. He remembered why he took Katara into the blizzard in the first place—he had hoped of finding the Avatar they were searching for, Avatar Liang-Shek. He had hoped that Liang-Shek would bring them salvation, and amazingly enough, he did in a way.

"Are you ok?" Katara waved her hand in front of Zuko's head to check whether he was still down to earth. "You seem really quiet."

Zuko took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just overwhelmed with everything that is going on. It almost feels like that the spirits have been watching us, creating all the obstacles, saving our lives...I feel like the spirits have been guiding us here." The words had left his lips faster than his mind could process.

_The Spirits…_ He remembered the fable his Uncle had told him about—how the Northern Lights weren't a magnetic phenomenon, but rather the spirits. Perhaps Uncle was right. The spirits do exist…and they led him and Katara here…meaning they were closer to the mysterious Avatar than they ever have been.

"Well, I guess we could stay here for awhile…" Zuko said. "We'll need to find a way out of here, though."

Katara smiled cheerfully at Zuko's response and walked out of the room.

As Katara ran through the city, she found a tablet jutting from the ground. She leaned over to read it. _The Village of A Thousand Tears __千泪村__._ Below it was signed _降世神通__, _by the Avatar_. _"The Avatar…" Katara whispered to herself. "He was here…" Next to the tablet was a pool. Katara looked at the calm waters. She walked to the edge of the pool, but suddenly a jet of water shot out of it and wrapped itself around her neck and limbs. She made a huge yelp before finally getting pulled into the water.

Zuko was sitting on an ice chair, taking a brief nap when Katara's shriek pierced his ear. He suddenly got up from his position and ran to see what was happening. Katara was flailing her limbs, and he got one final glimpse of her before she was dragged into the pool. Without thinking, he ran after her and dived into the pool of water that seemed to have come alive just a few moments ago.

* * *

The man in a Blue-Spirit mask was riding through the desert on a husky-raptor he stole from the Northern Water Tribe campsite. Suddenly, he heard a faint scream. Turning his head, he saw that it came from the direction of the Northern Lights. He pulled the reins of his husky raptor and headed in that direction, unaware that the true source was actually buried hundreds of feet beneath where he was heading.

* * *

Zuko washed up on the shore of an island and he shook his head to get the water out from his hair and face. He wringed his clothes and noticed that the climate was much more tropical. In front of him, a man sat on a rock, polishing a spear. What had just happened? He had just hopped into a pool in an underground ice city and now he could see palm trees right in front of him. He walked up in the direction of the man.

"Um, excuse me," Zuko said, scratching his head. "Do you know where we are right now?"

The man didn't respond. He just continued brushing his weapon with a piece of fur.

"Um, sir," Zuko said. "I just need to know the way…my friend's in danger."

There was still no response.

Zuko took a deep breath. He tried to stay calm. "Hello? Please?"

The man finally got up, hearing Zuko's words. A puzzled look bestrew his face. "You can see me?" He asked, lowering his weapon. He hopped off the rock he was sitting on.

Zuko sighed, slapping his forehead. "Yes, of course I can see you. I can hear you, too. That's why I've been calling your name the entire time."

The man raised up his bear helmet, taking a better look at Zuko. "That must mean…then…you have the blood of the Avatar."

Zuko nodded. "I am the great-grandson of Avatar Roku." He bowed. "Please. I need to know what is going on. Where am I?"

The man in the bear mask made a laugh. "Where are you?" He repeated Zuko's question. "In this realm, there is no _where_…but I guess I can tell you what this realm is…You're in the Spirit World."

Zuko's eyes widened. "The Spirit World? What?" The pool that he dove into must have been the bridge between the mortal realm and the spirit realm.

"Yes, the Spirit World, populated by the almighty spirits that govern the mortal world, and the spirits that have passed from the real world over."

Zuko scratched his chin. "So…you are not alive? You only exist in this world?" He asked.

"Of course I'm no longer alive. I'm Avatar Kuruk. My life ended more than half a millennium ago. I exist with a new being. I am a part of Avatar Aang now."

This was even more shocking news. "You're a past life of Aang? Wow…" The next question was on his mind the most. "Then…am I dead, too?"

Kuruk shook his head. "No. You can be alive and present in the Spirit World. Usually, only the Avatar can enter this world, but a few mortals manage to do so, too."

_So Katara and I managed to enter the Spirit World. She's still alive and I have to save her._ He asked Kuruk another question. "I met a spirit earlier ago. She had no face—"

"No face?" Kuruk grabbed Zuko by the shoulders. "Was she a Water Tribe lady? Big thick coat?" He pointed to his own coat.

Zuko nodded.

Kuruk shook Zuko. "You have to tell me where she is!" From his tone, he seemed fanatical.

"Last time I saw her, she was in the mortal world, near the Northern Water Tribe capital." Zuko responded.

"The mortal world?" Kuruk shook his head around in disappointment. He murmured to himself, "What are you doing, Ummi?"

Zuko heard his murmuring. "You know her?"

Kuruk chuckled. "Know her? She's my wife! She had her face stolen because of me…"

* * *

Katara rubbed her forehead. She was standing in a deep and dark, but dead forest. She saw a baboon in front of her, but when it turned its head, she realized it had no face. She made a yelp. A hand rested upon her shoulder and Katara turned around, seeing another Water Tribe woman. She yelped again. Like the baboon, the lady had no face.

"Wait," Katara said. "Zuko told me about you. You're the faceless lady. You're the spirit who willed me to steal all of the oasis's water."

The lady nodded.

"Why did you do it?" Katara asked, angrily, shaking her hand off her shoulder. "It's because of you my friend and I are stuck in a huge blizzard! We have a quest, and now we're side-tracked!" She waved her arms angrily.

_I'm sorry…It's just…_

Katara leaped upon hearing the skies echo. She didn't know that a faceless lady could talk.

_It's just that I love you…_

Katara's eyebrows knotted. "What? You love me?" Katara placed one of her hands on her chest, anger replaced with shock. This was stranger than the time Aang confessed his liking back at Ember Island. "But I don't even know you!"

The lady drooped her head. _You're everything I wanted…_

Katara tilted her head in confusion, while the lady continued her tale.

_You see, hundred of years ago…I met the love of my life in this city…_

"The Village of A Thousand Tears?" Katara asked.

The faceless lady nodded. _The love of my life and I were about to get married at the Spirit Oasis, but during that fateful moment, I was dragged into the oasis and sent into the Spirit World. It was around here, I lost my face…_

"You lost your face here? How?"

_The Face Stealer Spirit, Koh. He did it in order to punish my soon-to-be husband for his mistakes._

Katara sat down on a rock, engrossed by the story. "Your groom sounds like…" She rubbed the soles of her feet in the ground. She was going to say "jerk," but she didn't want to offend her.

_I know what you are going to say. You would think that he was a real screw-up. But he wasn't. Around me, he dared to change from his old ways. He revealed his true self and finally settled down. There were no more lotus tornadoes to impress the girls or impromptu Agni Kai's—_

_Lotus tornadoes and Agni Kai's?_ Katara thought. There was only one person in the world who could airbend and firebend. "Wait…was he the Avatar?"

Once again, the faceless lady nodded. _He was the Avatar, and I loved him, just like I love you. I always wanted a daughter just like you…_ She stroked Katara's cheek.

Katara blushed. It was an awkward moment, having a faceless spirit touch you.

_You're everything I wanted from the Avatar and my marriage. That's why I traveled the Spirit World, faceless, in search of a way to reclaim my face from Koh. There was only one person who was great enough to help me…an ancient Avatar, not my lover, though. He had mastered spirit-bending and was the key to overcoming Koh. If I could find him and serve him, he could teach me how to spiritually rip my face from the monster and take it back… _

_An Avatar who could spirit-bend? _Katara thought. "That's who me and my friend are after!" she exclaimed. "Avatar Liang-Shek!"

_Yes. However, he's dying, and he needs my help._

"So he doesn't exist in this world, huh? He's passed on?"

_He's not in this world. And he hasn't passed on either. By infusing his life into four different artifacts, he has managed to escape death. He's neither spirit nor mortal.  
_

"Infusing his life into artifacts? He must really be a great spirit-bender then." She was trying to piece the puzzles regarding Avatar Liang-Shek that was being fed to her.

_Yes, he is great. But he is in trouble. Deep inside the city of ice you found is where one of his artifacts lay. I have to return every month with spirit water in order to keep it intact, to keep it alive. And as he promised to me, in return, he will teach me the arts of spirit-bending._

"So you've made previous visits to the Spirit Oasis before? Every time just to fetch water for the great Avatar?"

Nodding, she once again stroked Katara's cheek. _But I have never taken away so much spirit water before in one trip. It's just that every time taking you up to the cliff, I couldn't let you go. So I sent you back down there to fetch more, and more, and more…the longer you stayed with me, the happier I was. I filled the pool in the ice city you just found with the excess Spirit Water taken._

"It must have been really painful, leaving me then," Katara said.

_Yes. It was painful. I thought that if only our marriage had succeeded, I could have been living a tranquil and happy life, raising a daughter just like you._

The faceless lady turned around. _Remember, Katara, never take anything—your life, your love, your identity,_ she felt her featureless face. _Never take any of them for granted, for once they are gone, you'll miss them so._

_Never take love for granted…_Katara thought. She remembered how she had almost crushed Aang back at the theatre at Ember Island. Strangely, an image of Zuko flashed through her mind.

* * *

Zuko sat on a rock beside Avatar Kuruk, listening to his tale of how he traveled the world as a young, arrogant, and naïve Avatar, and finally returning to the North Pole to meet his wife and settle down. He also told Zuko how his love was ripped from him by the evil face-stealing sprit, Koh.

"Today's a special day for me," Kuruk said. "It's the day of my marriage. You've probably seen the spirits already. They've been dancing above the ice city, signs of my anniversary."

_So the Northern Lights are spirits…_Zuko thought. "But you told me that you were married at the Spirit Oasis," he asked.

"Yes, but it was at this city, we met each other." A tear trickled down his eyes. "And it was because of our separation, this city was buried. Our tears, frozen as snow, continuously bombarded the village every day of every year for the past hundreds of years. It is only on this day, the autumnal equinox, the tears stop." He wiped his eyes. "Because on this day, I have hope. I have hope that I might be able to reclaim her and end the agony raging inside of me. I am going to finally find Koh and steal back her beautiful face!" He brandished his weapon.

"Let me help," Zuko said, extending his hand. "If you can defeat him and find your wife, she can lead me to the person she is serving. I am looking for him."

Kuruk laughed loudly. "You think you can help me? You're just a teenager! I'm a full-fledged Avatar and still I can't defeat Koh!"

Zuko leapt off the rock and thrust his fist. He wanted to show Kuruk that he was a fully capable firebender. However, no flames came out.

"Give up, my boy," Kuruk said, walking to him and patting his back. "You cannot bend in the Spirit World."

Zuko blinked disbelievingly. "I can't?"

"Of course you can't!" Kuruk said. "Why would I chase him down with this spear if I could summon a fissure? Spray a massive tornado flame at him? Or blow him away with the gusts of a typhoon? I don't because I can't. Look. This is not your fight. Leave me alone." He was about to leave.

"But I have to find someone. I have to find Avatar Liang-Shek. He'll save the world. You'll understand me, won't you? You're the Avatar! It's your duty to help the world!" Zuko shouted desperately.

"I _was_ the Avatar, kid." Kuruk said. He continued to head for the palm forest. "It's not my problem now. But if you are looking for someone, I suggest you find Old Man Kyzak. He's probably in this Spirit World somewhere like me. I heard he trained a very powerful Avatar in the ice city, back when it was a tiny village. Don't know if the Avatar he trained is the one you're looking for, though." Without turning, he waved his arms and disappeared into the palm tree forests.

Zuko fell onto the sand of the shore, clutching his head. The tides were coming in and coming out and he heard the pelican-gulls squaking. He was so lost, clueless on where to find the man Kuruk was referring to or whether he actually did train Avatar Liang-Shek. He didn't even get any closer to finding Katara. And most importantly, he knew not how to leave the Spirit World.

* * *

Katara was leaning on a dead tree and talking to a lady missing a face. It couldn't get any stranger.

"So can you tell me where Avatar Liang-Shek is? Where he kept one of these sacred artifact of his?"

The lady shook her head. _I cannot tell you that. It is a secret…and if I reveal it, I could put my master's life at risk. He would never teach me, then.  
_

Katara got up from her position and approached the lady. "Please, you have to tell me. It is for the sake of the world. It is for me. I need to know."

Though the faceless lady loved Katara very much, she was adamant with her decision not to talk.

Katara begged. "Look, your doing this for your love's sake. And I can understand how had it is to lose that very special person." She was recalling back to the Crystal Catacombs when Aang was hit by a lightning attack. "But you have to let go of your grievance of losing a face… I mean it's been so long that he's already passed onto the Spirit World…"

The faceless lady knew that, for after all, she made frequent trips to the capital. The times had been changing. It was already hundreds of years after she had disappeared. Of course her lover had died already.

Katara continued. "Your lover—he's the Avatar, and I completely understand your situation. I have a boyfriend, too, and he's the Avatar. And he would love me no matter how I am. I bet your lover wouldn't mind you either," Katara said, feeling the smooth face. "He'd do anything for you, and your disappearance is hurting him. He changed, for you. He cares about the world—that's his duty. That is why you must tell me where Avatar Liang-Shek hides this sacred artifact. So I can help restore the world with my friends."

The lady averted Katara's gaze. Her heart was crumbling, and she though she couldn't express it through tears or frowns, Katara could sense the pain.

"I'm sorry," Katara said. "I didn't mean to…"

_No_, the lady said. _You're right. If the world needs saving, I have to do my duty. My lover has to do his duty. We all have a part to play. It was because of his negligence of duty that I lost my face in the first place. There's always a chance for forgiveness and redemption…and unless I head that direction, I'll be stuck in this state faceless and guilty forever. It's time for me to stop thinking about myself, but think for the world. It's time for me to take the first step._

Katara smiled. "You know, if you had a daughter right now, you would make her very proud. And very happy."

The lady nodded. That was all she could do. Without her face, she almost had no life—no life to show at least, since she couldn't convey her happiness through a smile. _I'll tell you the secret… but I need your help. I've been bound to my duty ever since I swore an oath that I would serve the great Avatar. I need you to fulfill _

Katara nodded.

_The Avatar hides the treasure in a labyrinth behind the city. Rumors were that his waterbending master was the one who designed the maze. The artifact he hides is hidden in the heart of the maze. _

"Great!" Katara said. "All I have to do is find it! And once we're there—"

_You have to destroy it._

Katara's eyes widened. "Destroy it? I can't destroy it! He needs to live! My friends and I need him to continue surviving so we can learn his tricks, just like you need to! I need to take it back to the Avatar so he can understand the nuances of energy-bending! What's the point of asking you for the way if I'm going to crush the goal?" She completely regretted the idea of suggesting the faceless lady to give up her duty.

_But that is the only way that my contract to my master can be broken, if I fail my duty. If the object he wants me to protect is destroyed._

This was a real dilemma. She could sense that the faceless lady wanted to return to her lover really badly, and she did mention there were four of these artifacts, so destroying one of them can't be too bad, can it?

"All right," Katara said. "You have my word. I will destroy the artifact, but you have to lead me through the maze."

The lady shook her head. _That I cannot do. I can only enter the mortal world when my powers are strong enough, such as during the full moon. But I do know someone who can help you… He constructed the labyrinth, and he knows its secret. Find the waterbending master, Kyzak, the man who purportedly trained my master. He'll show you the way…_

The lady was already fading away, but Katara quickly tried to grasp her fingers. She still had questions unanswered. "But how do I find him? He's in this Spirit World somewhere, isn't he?"

The lady nodded. _There's one person who can tell you where Kyzak is…He's one of the oldest spirits in this world. Find him, first._

"Who is he?" Katara asked.

_His name is Koh, The Face Stealer._

Katara's jaw dropped. "But he stole your face! He'll try to get mine, too!"

_Don't worry. Just be as emotionless as possible. A face without emotions is merely a mask. Koh values your feelings just as much, for it is what gives your face true authenticity. Remember, feel nothing when you're with him, and you'll fear nothing…_

And with those final words, the faceless lady disappeared, imparting a new duty onto Katara.

Katara sighed. It was one quest after another. First the search for the Avatar was changed into a game of survival. The game of survival changed back to the search of the Avatar. And after, it was a search for the Avatar's _master_. But before she could find the master, she must risk her life finding a face-stealing spirit. _Great, just great. _She wondered how Zuko was doing, relaxing back at the city. _He owes me big time for doing this,_ she thought, beginning her walk past the dead trees. Little did she know that he was heading her way, too.

_Fades to black_.

* * *

Note: So wow! A lot of Kuruk and Ummi going on. And that's right, a special guest appearance by Koh, the nutorious face-stealer, in the next chapter! Find out the labyrinth's secrets and more about the various masters by tuning in to act 3!


	19. Northern Lights, Act 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Note: So here is the final act for Northern Lights.

This is the first time I included the quote thing at the beginning of the chapter. I am planning to also do this for the other ones later on. Yeah, I know... the quote isn't that great and is long. But if you want to find out more, read the rest of the chapter!

Finally, thank you to all the reviewers for your support and IndusLotus especially. I will consider changing the summary to something more eye-catching perhaps.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! I am planning to have less frequent updates because school is a killer. But I will try! :)

* * *

**Book 4: Air**

**Chapter 6:**

**The Blizzard, Part 1—Northern Lights**

...

"Golden flames stem from the love for another. If your passion is powerful enough, the source of energy for the fire will not only come from within you, but also within that special someone, for the internal fire of your hearts will be connected in a special bond that allows the flames to burn with tenfold strength and radiate with golden magnificence."

-Avatar Kuruk

...

Act 3:

Zuko looked at the sky that was painted orange and purple from the setting sun on the horizon. The weather was balmy, and he was on a tropical island. This climate was the last he expected to witness, for only a few moments ago, he was in an ice city buried underneath the snowfall of a huge storm.

The wind blew against his vest and his hair, pounding the cloth against his chest. The gales were strong, and he could feel that it was heading into the palm tree forest. With no knowledge of where to find Katara or how to leave the Spirit World, all he could do was to let fate take him to where he was supposed to end up. And right now, he was a feather, drifting in the wind, hoping that nature would guide him to his destiny.

As he brushed some of the bushes away, he noticed that on the other side of the palm forest was an entirely new world. Fate was definitely leading him toward a certain goal or a certain event, for no regular adventurer could have ever been transported from an ice wasteland to a temperate coast and then later to a dead forest populated by twisted trees.

The air was stiffening, and his skin was tingling. Never before, not even in the blizzard, had he felt so cold before. It wasn't the average shivering to generate warmth, but rather shivering of apprehension, for with each tree Zuko passed, he could feel closer and closer that he was heading for something ominous.

And what worsened this sensation that was creeping through his body was fear—fear that stemmed from his ignorance, for he had no idea of what to expect from the source of apprehension. Whatever monstrous being or demented figure he was heading toward, it would take him by surprise. He had heard of all of the tales regarding the Spirit World, and he had never given any of them a second thought because he never knew that he would end up in the place. Now that he was finally in the realm that he least expected to venture, however, he knew that he had to remain vigilant.

Uncle Iroh had told him about the legendary spirit Si Wang, the lord of death who made daily trips to the mortal world to fish out the souls and lives of those who overstayed their existence in the mortal realm or committed a horrible crime. He took them into the spirit world where they made a temporary stay before heading to the Celestial Palace of Heavens, the next stage of their lives.

Death, as Iroh described it, was a natural cause, and that there was no need to fight it. When the time was right, it would come and take you to the next part of one's existence. Only those who were bound to the mortal world couldn't travel with him to the Palace of Heavens. One such examples were some of the Avatars, whose duties caused them to be bound to the Spirit World.

The entire phenomenon of death was still a mystery to not only his uncle but also everyone else. In fact, many mortal scholars had ventured into the Spirit World to seek the answer to the questions regarding life after death, but none could enter the Palace of Heavens. There was one thing they did know, however, and that was the fact that dead spirits could destroy the life of anything they touched. And it was seeing these lifeless trees that led him to suspect that he was in Si Wang's territory.

When he turned his head to further scan the surroundings, he noticed footprints on the ground. The feet were small, and they definitely belonged to a human. At first, he thought that it could have been the dead spirits making their pilgrimage across the Spirit World, but he remembered from his meeting with the faceless lady that they couldn't leave footsteps. It was then he realized that they must have belonged to Katara.

* * *

Katara had left the forest of dead trees that she started out in and finally wandered into Koh's territory. The land was swampy, and there was a faint mist over the ground. Katara had followed the Faceless Lady's directions, and searched for the twisted and gnarled tree in which Koh rested. As she ventured, she waded across the swamp, hoping that the destination lay not so far away. However, as she moved, her movements began to slow. She realized she was slowly begin pulled into the water! She waved her arms around, but realized that she could not bend. No matter what she did, the water did not part. She continued to sink into the depths of the bog, and her constant failed attempts at bending only expedited the process. The ground was weak, and she was being dragged through by the mud.

As her head approached the water level, a hand extended out. She reached it and could fell life coursing through the veins of the arm. It definitely wasn't a spirit. _Was it Aang?_ After all, he was the only one who could really enter the world at will. However, peering above the water, she noticed a scar, and there was only one person she knew that had such a mark that covered most of his left face.

"Zuko," she gasped when she was hoisted above the water. Her clothes were all muddy, but that didn't matter to her. What was on her mind was that the Firelord had followed her all the way into the Spirit World.

"What were you thinking?" Zuko said. "You can't agitate a bog like that. The more you move, the faster you sink into the mud." He was holding onto a vine that was attached to one of the tree branches way above. He pulled Katara up and she grabbed him tightly, hoping that by doing so, she would stop sinking in.

"Well, I tried to bend the water out of the mud…" Katara blushed at the intimacy.

"You can't bend in this world." Zuko tersely replied.

Katara could infer that much. "So you followed me into the Spirit World?"

"Of course I did." Zuko replied. "I had to rescue you from that pool. Who knew what would have happened?"

Katara should have expected that much. _Of course he followed me… After all, he was caring enough to block a lightning attack…_

Zuko interrupted her thoughts. "Are you looking for a way out of the Spirit World?"

Katara shook her head. "I met a faceless lady. She told me that I had to find a waterbending master. He supposedly trained Avatar Liang-Shek."

Zuko reached for another vine and wrapped it around Katara's waist to keep her from sinking too deep. "So you've met her, huh? How was she?" He remembered how the lady had told him that she had used blood-bending to have Katara commit the crime.

The two began wading further through the swamp and talked along the way.

"She was all right. She seemed really sad… I mean her story was tragic."

"I know," Zuko said. "I met the Avatar. Avatar Kuruk, to be precise. He told me about it also."

It seemed that the two had their share of adventures in the Spirit World already and needed to catch up already.

Zuko continued talking. "He told me about his soon-to-be wife and Koh, the face stealer."

"That's great." Katara replied. She didn't know how to say the next part and decided just to blurt it out. "Because that is where we are heading. We're going to Koh's lair."

Zuko's face dropped. "Koh's lair? What? He's an evil spirit! I thought we were heading for the master!"

"Yes," Katara cringed. She had no idea on how to persuade Zuko to come along with her. After all, it would be dangerous. "But we'll be fine."

"Be fine?" Zuko cried. "Look at this!" She turned and saw that he was pointing at his scar. "I've already lost enough of my face! I don't need to have the whole thing taken away from me!"

"But she told me that Koh won't harm us."

"He won't? That's awesome…" Zuko said sarcastically. "Because if I recall, he didn't consider sparing the Avatar's fiancée's face."

"That's because she didn't know the secret. You mustn't reveal any kind of emotion or feelings," Katara said.

"Zuko's face lit up? No emotion?"

Katara nodded. "Yes, because without it, she said, a face is merely a mask. It is a vehicle for our feelings, and it is those feelings that give each of our faces authenticity and value."

Zuko pondered her words for a moment. Her words did make sense. As they each continued to share their experiences in the Spirit World, the two finally came to the end of the swamp. Before them was the twisted tree, and inside it was the spirit they were seeking. They hopped over the stepping stones and went into the tree.

It was dark inside, and it contributed to the aura of mysteriousness and fear. Katara stayed close to Zuko because even though she knew what kind of a spirit to expect, she knew nothing of its appearance. The crawling noises only made her apprehension worse. The two realized that the sound came from above them and turned to look.

Koh wrapped himself around a stalagmite. "A visitor so soon?" He lowered his abdomen and faced the two with his giant eye. The eye blinked open, revealing the face of an old warrior. He stared intently at Zuko and Katara. "I didn't expect someone else until another couple hundreds of years." He wiggled his legs excitedly. "Though I always don't mind having the opportunity of adding two more faces to my collection. Especially one so beautiful." He laughed and leaned into close to Katara and blinked his huge eye. It turned into the face of a little girl and he studied Katara's face.

If the faceless lady had not told Katara earlier or told her to remain emotionless, she would have fainted or screamed. With no bending for protection, she felt defenseless and vulnerable. And the spirit in front of her was most intimidating with his chuckles and abilities.

She clenched Zuko's hand tightly with her own. Zuko turned to look at Katara. Indeed, her face was definitely beautiful, and he was amazed that before now, he had not noticed this fact.

"But yours," Koh turned to face Zuko. "Yours has been tainted. Just from reading it, I can tell that you've been through a lot of suffering."

Zuko turned his head to hide his scar from Koh's gaze in embarrassment. "We are not here for you to talk about my past history or make fun of my burn marks. We are looking for someone."

"Looking for someone?" Using the girl's face, he raised an eyebrow. "You're just like the Avatar then, huh?"

"Aang's been here?" Katara's face lit up, but then she remembered that she had to hide her emotions. "I mean," she said indifferently, "Aang's been here?"

"The young monk? Why yes, he passed by here a few months ago, looking from the Ocean and Moon Spirits." Koh climbed around the stalagmite and got a better grip. His eye blinked again, and now he had the face of a baboon. It must have belonged to the baboon earlier.

Zuko and Katara faced each other. Koh was referring to the Siege of the North that took place last winter. They remembered their heated battle and his attempt to kidnap Aang. With the memories of the horrible incident and Yue's great sacrifice, Katara glared at Zuko, who lowered his head disappointedly. He had regretted what he had done at the North Pole.

"We are looking for a man." She said, turning back to face Koh. "His name is Kyzak, and he purportedly trained a previous incarnation of the Avatar."

"Old man? There certainly aren't many of them in the Spirit World. You're real close. I hear that he is across the river from here." From the glare that Katara gave earlier to Zuko, Koh could sense that she was reveal some of her emotions. He had a good taste of what she had to offer, but it wasn't enough.

"You may act distraught little girl, but I can see that there is a special bond between you two. Just as I read his face, I can see that within you, you have feelings for him…" He was bluffing of course, for he could only read faces well. However, Katara and Zuko didn't know his abilities.

Katara blushed harder than ever before. _A special bond? He must be crazy! We're friends of course…but he did try to kill me back during the siege of the north pole! _The thoughts were running through her head at a furious pace. _But now, he's saved my life…more than once…_ A sense of apprehension crept through her body. Perhaps Koh was right. Even though all of the horrible incidents had happened, she began to notice that she did have some feelings for Zuko. She turned to see Zuko and how he reacted, and he was just as red as her. This was worse than the time watching the scene in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se in _The Boy in the Iceberg_ play.

Koh continued. "You know, you two remind me of the two of them." He blinked and revealed the face of a Water Tribe lady with long flowing black hair. It belonged to the faceless lady. "She was deeply in love with the Avatar, and it did pain me so much to break the heart of her fiancée…" Koh shook his head in disappointment.

"We are not fiancées!" Katara and Zuko shouted simultaneously, who finally couldn't handle the tension of the awkwardness. It was absurd for the loveless face stealer to make such an assumption.

Koh laughed and smiled in hungry anticipation. Finally, after such a long conversation, the two showed him pieces of their true selves. He clamped his claws and lunged back, preparing to jump at them. Just then, a spear flew hit his shell, causing him to lose his grip and fall off the stalagmite.

"You have to get out of here!" A man shouted at the opening. He waved his arms to signal the urgency of leaving the place. Zuko pulled Katara and the two ran out of the tree and followed the mysterious man who had just saved them.

After hopping over the stones and back onto the mainland, Zuko finally recognized who it was.

"What were you thinking?" Kuruk shouted angrily. "After telling you the tragic story of my loss, you go looking for the face-stealer? What is wrong with you?"

"Wait?" Katara said, letting go of Zuko and pointing at the man dressed in the Water Tribe outfit with the bear helmet. "You must be Avatar Kuruk, right?"

"That's right lady." He said. "I'm the Avatar from the Water Tribe. Let's skip the introductions and get onto the main point. Why were you with Koh?"

"We're trying to find the master waterbender you were referring to," Zuko responded.

"Yes, I _suggested _that you look for _him_, but not the monster. You know…I was hoping you could tell…"

Katara interrupted this time. "But he knew where the master was! We're doing this in order to save your fiancée!"

Kuruk seemed shocked. "What? My fiancée? Ummi?" He bellowed angrily. "Why are getting involved in my personal life now? She's my problem and it's my duty to save her!"

"Yes," Zuko replied in a calming tone. "But it's not what you think. Her face isn't the only problem."

"It isn't?" Kuruk seemed concerned now. "What do you mean?" He was all ears.

"She is spiritually bound by contract to the service of another Avatar."

"Another Avatar?" Kuruk clenched his fist. "He isn't by any means the Avatar you're looking for, is he?" Kuruk directed his question at Zuko.

"Actually, he is." Zuko replied. "And the only way to save her is to navigate through a maze behind the ice city."

"The Ice Labyrinth," Kuruk said softly. "That's why you are looking for Old Man Kyzak…It's because he constructed the maze."

"Exactly," Katara nodded.

Kuruk closed his eyes and went off into a thought. "I see, then. There is nothing I can do about this. I cannot enter the mortal world again. You two must help me carry out my duty and solve the maze."

The two teenagers nodded. They told him that in order to find Kyzak, they had to first cross a river. Kuruk led the way while they followed.

"Now let me warn you two," he said. "This is no ordinary river. Whatever you do, you mustn't swim across it. The river is controlled by the Spirit, Si Wang, Lord of the Dead. He has his henchmen ferry those who have passed on from the mortal world."

"Then why are you still here?" Katara asked.

"Because I'm the Avatar," Kuruk replied. "It's my duty to serve the world. Besides, I have unfinished business." He was referring to Ummi of course. "Lucky for you two I'm with you. Normally, none of these guys would lend a free ride." He pointed to a guy wearing a straw hat on a dock. One could see that he had no face also.

Kuruk hopped onto one of the boats near the dock and gestured the two to hope in also. He then pointed to the faceless ferryman, "Get going. We're going to need to cross the river."

The man in the straw hat nodded and took out a huge stick. He hopped onto the stern of the boat and began to push the board forward by pushing against the river floor.

"Don't stick your hands or legs out of the boat," Kuruk said. "Inside the river are spirits who fell overboard or were pulled into the water. They'll likely try and get you also." Zuko and Katara leaned to see, and Kuruk was right: the river was actually a huge body of flowing spirits.

"So why is this Kyzak person…" Zuko was thinking about the story of Si Wang. "Why is he still in the Spirit World? I mean, he's no Avatar. He's not bound to the world, so why hasn't he continued onto his next life?"

Kuruk shrugged. He was as clueless as Zuko was. "I don't know, but he must have his reasons. I doubt anyone would willingly stay in this world rather than continuing onto a much better life."

Zuko nodded and focused his attention to the shore in front of them. They were approaching the other side. The three hopped out of the boat.

They now landed onto an island that had mountain that reached unto the heavens. This must have been the path to the Celestial Palace. Katara pointed to the steps that leaded up the mountain. "Kyzak must be down the road!" She shouted. She began running off the direction. Zuko ran to follow her, however, Kuruk stopped him.

"If you are thinking about heading into the Ice Labyrinth, there's something I must tell you." He tilted his head in the direction of the forest, indicating to Zuko to head in that direction.

* * *

Katara was so excited to meet the master that she didn't notice Zuko wasn't with her. Finally, halfway up the base of the mountain, she found an old man sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Are you the waterbending master, Kyzak?"

The man originally had his eyes closed, but upon hearing her words, he opened one of his eyes. "Yes, I am Kyzak or the Northern Water Tribe. If you are a spirit in search of the Palace of the Heavens, let me tell you that all you need to do is continue down the path."

Katara shook her head. "No, I am not a dead spirit. I am looking for you. I need you to teach me about the maze."

"The maze?" The phrase piqued the old man's interest. He stood up, raising an eyebrow. "What maze are you talking about?"

"The maze you constructed for Avatar Liang-Shek."

The old man's eyes widened. "Liang-Shek?" He clasped his forehead with one hand and shook his head. "No…no…no…"

"What's wrong?" Katara asked. He was obviously deeply disturbed.

"It's just that his name brings back bad memories." The man softly replied.

"It does?" Katara had not expected that an Avatar would do something bad.

"He knew that I was one of the few who knew the secrets of the maze…and killed me."

Katara's eyes widened in horror, too. She had not expected such a comment. "He killed you? Was it because of his life-infused artifact?"

The man's face lit up. "Wait. You know about his artifact? You also know his secret? What year is this?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You can save me, then, can't you? You can destroy the artifact, right?"

Katara nodded. "Yes, that is what I intend to do." However, something was seriously wrong. She did not know why the man wanted the artifact destroyed so badly. From the information she gathered, Liang-Shek must have had a terrible relationship with his waterbending master.

"That's it. I've made my decision. I will pass onto you the secret to the labyrinth." He approached her. "You are a bender, are you not?"

"Yes. I'm a waterbender."

"Even better!" he replied. "No show me your stance."

Katara got into position, and he could tell that she was no novice. "You must be quite a master yourself. But you still have a lot to learn. Waterbending is more than just the manipulation of water and ice. It is all about adaptability and flexibility. Most importantly, it is about the flow of energy." He headed in the direction of a tiny stream.

"In order to understand this concept, you should put your foot into the water. Feel its current. Feel the flow." Katara walked up to the stream and she did. "You can sense the drift of water pass by your feet, right?" Katara nodded.

"Good." Kyzak replied. "Now that is the easy part. The Ice Labyrinth I designed was meant to test one's capability in the field of waterbending. For inside it, I used to place an object, and if one could sense its energy flow through the maze, one could trace a path to it easily. Liang-Shek, though, used my maze for a hiding spot of one of his artifacts. This artifact contains a part of his life, and it is oozing with energy. You must now close your eyes and sense the flow of energy."

Katara nodded, understanding him so far. She wasn't sure, however, if she was good enough to perform what he was saying.

"Don't think this will be easy. It won't, because that maze I designed was for expert waterbenders. You'll need focus, but once you get the hang of it, you'll feel much more powerful. No longer would you get lost in a desert or a blizzard. All you would have to do is feel the invisible ties between you and the rest of the world."

"So all I need to do is focus?" Katara asked. That aspect seemed easy enough.

"Yes. Concentrate and feel the energy breeze right by. It'll become second nature soon. Almost like how smelling is second nature to a tiger-dillo. "However, you must watch out."

"About what?" The change in Kyzak's tone foreshadowed a devastating consequence.

"Do not confuse the flow of energy with your emotions. You must learn to distinguish between the two, or else you will only get further lost in the maze."

"Thank you, master," Katara said, bowing. Kyzak pat her on the back.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that you'll be able to do it. You have the looks of a waterbending prodigy." He smiled.

She hoped that she could make it through the maze. After all, so many people's lives rested on her success.

* * *

Zuko followed Kuruk as they walked through a thick forest.

"The Ice Labyrinth rests behind the Village of A Thousand Tears." Kuruk explained. "I learnt about it when I was a young boy. However, I couldn't enter it."

"Why not? Was it sealed? Couldn't you just waterbend your way in?" Zuko asked.

"That's the problem," Kuruk replied. "I couldn't. The temperatures in the labyrinth are so low that any attempts to melt the ice will be futile. It'll just freeze back. And if you tried to firebend your way in, you have to be very powerful."

"Will I be able to do so?"

"That depends on your skill and the time of the year. Only in summer can you melt the frozen gate that leads into the maze. Once the autumnal equinox passes, not even the most powerful firebending will be able to melt the entrance. That aspect, the one regarding the time of year, I cannot alter. I can change, however, your skill. I will teach you the nuances to firebending." He stopped walking and so did Zuko.

"Firebending took me the longest to master out of all of the elements." Kuruk continued. "Unlike waterbending, my native element, it does not involve the manipulation of energy flow. Rather, it uses energy to create the flames…and this creation comes from the breath." He inhaled a huge gasp of air and let it blow out from his nose.

Zuko had heard these words before. His uncle had told him all about the origins and basics of firebending during the beginning of his exile.

"And unlike the other elements, firebending stems from our emotions. It is our emotions that can greatly alter the transition from energy into flames. Whether it be sadness, joy, anger, determination, or even love, our feelings can have great impact on the conversion of breath to fire."

Zuko nodded. He remembered how whenever had to control his anger, he sighed steam and occasionally flare flames from his nostrils during his times of immense frustration. Whenever he was angry, the power and bursts would become even more powerful.

"Now the flames have an assortment of different colors. There's an entire spectrum that ranges from blue to red to gold." Kuruk stopped in his walk. He plucked a Fire Rose from the bush. "The flames of a normal firebender is red, just like this flower. But the color can easily change." Zuko recalled his visit to the Sun Warrior's tribe. The dragons created firebending harmony and had a swirl of all different-colored flames. Kuruk flicked his finger at the flower, and the petals changed colors to yellow. "It all depends on your mastery and your emotions. The golden flames are the strongest. It burns with the most fervor, the most intensity." He pointed the flower.

"Why are they the strongest, though?"

"Golden flames stem from the love for another." Kuruk replied. "If your passion is strong enough, the source of energy for the fire will not only come from within you," he pointed to Zuko, "but also within that special someone, for the internal fire of your hearts will be connected in a special bond, allowing the fire to burn with tenfold strength and radiate with golden magnificence."

Zuko scratched his chin. "So what about blue flames, then?" He had to find out the secret to his sister's signature firebending move.

"Blue flames? There are very few people in the world who can bend blue flames. They sit directly opposite to gold flames on the other end of the spectrum. They're the most dangerous kinds of flame of all." Kuruk replied.

"Really?" But I thought you said that golden flames were the most powerful."

"They're definitely the strongest in terms of temperature, but they're not the deadliest. My firebending teacher told me that in order to bend blue flames, you needed to isolate yourself from all sense of care and love. Only one with a desire for harm and apathy for the suffering of others could summon such a color. And it is the coldness that is tinged in the scorching fire that makes the burn so acerbic and so excruciating…"

It definitely made sense. His sister did seem to fit the sadist description that Kuruk had described. Kuruk then placed the flower in Zuko's hands. "So remember, this, young firebender. Know this technique and I'm sure you'll be able to find your way into the maze."

Zuko nodded, but then finally realized that today was already the autumnal equinox. Time was running out. "How will I get out of here, though? Leave the Spirit World?"

Suddenly, from the sky, a dragon emerged and landed right in front of Zuko. Kuruk laughed. "I think that this dragon will eagerly take you and your friend out of here."

Zuko nodded and bowed. "Thank you Avatar Kuruk."

Kuruk stopped laughing and solemnly nodded back. "Don't thank me. Promise me. Promise me that you and your friend will save her."

Zuko hopped onto the dragon and nodded again. With a light kick, the dragon flew off and then picked up Katara. The two flew to a Spirit Gate and left the spirit world.

* * *

The pool that had pulled Katara in spit the two out, and with that, they landed back inside the huge ice city. Zuko grabbed his head, trying to get over what felt like a migraine. He could feel Katara breathing heavily next to him, gasping for air. As he stood up, he realized he wasn't alone, for he could see a shadow casting over him. The man in the Blue Spirit Mask had found them in the blizzard.

_Fades to white._

* * *

Note: Well, here is the end to The Blizzard, Part 1: Northern Lights. Find out more about the Man in the Blue Spirit mask in the next episode.

Please review! It would make me very happy.


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